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India begins ambitious campaign to

clean up dirty cities and villages


Commuters pass through an alley as a civic worker dumps waste in Kolkata, India.
(Bikas Das/!"
By #ama $akshmi %ctober & at ''()& *
NEW DELHI With brooms in hand, politicians, bureaucrats, police officers and
citizen groups descended on the streets Thursday to seep aay trash as part of an
ambitious ne effort to clean up India!
The country"s #$% billion &lean India campaign aims to install more toilets to end
open defecation, impro'e trash disposal and educate citizens about the lin(
beteen sanitation and public health! Thursday"s launch as timed to coincide ith
the birthday of independence leader )ohandas *andhi, ho as assassinated in
$+,-!
We ha'e to gi'e )ahatma *andhi something on his $.%th birth anni'ersary, in
/%$+,0 1rime )inister Narendra )odi said! 23ust li(e the hole nation united to
fight for freedom bac( then, e ha'e to or( together to clean India no!0
4n hat is usually a public holiday, officials ere ordered to report to or( to clean
their offices and grounds, and to pledge to de'ote $%% hours a year to cleaning!
1ublic spaces in India"s cities are often eyesores full of rotting piles of trash along
the streets, in neighborhoods, public par(s and playgrounds, outside fancy air5
conditioned malls and e'en fi'e5star hotels!
6lthough other politicians ha'e long ignored the problem, the garbage is )odi"s pet
pee'e! He has urged clean5ups in se'eral speeches since his party on a resounding
'ictory in )ay!
)odi"s campaign coincides ith a nascent stirring among India"s affluent middle
class that considers the garbage problem a national shame and has begun sporadic
cleanliness dri'es in se'eral cities in recent years!
I ill not litter, I ill not allo others to litter, is hat e must resol'e if e are
true children of this motherland,0 )odi said Thursday!
Earlier, he 'isited a street seeper"s neighborhood, sept the street and dedicated
an eco5friendly public toilet in Ne Delhi! 2When e tra'el abroad, e are so
impressed by ho clean other countries are! The secret of their cleanliness is the
discipline of the citizens in those countries!0
7ar aay from )odi"s e'ent, 3oginder 1al, /85year old municipal seeper, cleaned
the sideal( ne9t to a 2&lean India0 sign that featured an image of *andhi"s round
eyeglasses!
1eople are alays blaming seepers li(e us for dirty streets! They forget ho much
they litter e'eryhere and all the time ithout any regard for cleanliness,0 1al said!
2If this ne program ma(es them aare of their on responsibility, then it ill be
effecti'e!0
Indians generate more than 8- million tons of solid aste e'ery year, a .% percent
:ump since /%%$, according to a /%$/ report by &olumbia ;ni'ersity! The figure is
e9pected to increase to $8% million tons by /%,$!
<ut fi9ing the trash problem on"t be easy! India"s cash5strapped municipalities,
ith too fe trained urban managers, are oefully ill5e=uipped to tac(le the
problem! 7orty percent of India"s aste remains uncollected and unprocessed!
Human seage flos directly into the ri'ers in many cities! 6bout ,8 percent of
India"s homes ha'e no indoor toilet, ,+ percent of the population defecates in the
open and the rest use public toilets, according to census data!
It is refreshing that a topic that has ne'er been considered important in India is
suddenly getting the spotlight,0 said >hammy 3acob, founder of >aaf India
7oundation, a not5for5profit group that trac(s Indians" attitudes toard littering!
2<ut I hope this doesn"t end ith :ust cleaning the streets ithout or(ing on
beha'ioral change, ithout as(ing fundamental =uestions li(e? Where is this
garbage going@ 6re e segregating aste@ Is it getting recycled and disposed in a
sustainable manner@0
<efore the high5profile launch, ministers sept their office corridors and streets,
did surprise chec(s to inspect dirty offices and pulled putrefying trash from ri'ers!
>tudents sept their school grounds!
It is not easy to change old habits,0 )odi said, and he urged citizens to upload
'ideos of their cleaning acti'ities on the program"s social media page! 2If Indians
can reach )ars ith so little money, hy can"t Indians clean their neighborhoods@0
6cti'ists said the campaign ill be successful if aste collectors are treated ith
dignity and the or( is made less hazardous!
Waste collectors are not organized, their health problems are not e'en
ac(noledged,0 said <harati &hatur'edi, director of &hintan En'ironmental
Aesearch and 6ction *roup, in Ne Delhi! 2They pic( all (inds of trash ith bare
hands, and carry it home in their slums to segregate them! 6re e creating safe
space for segregation@ What rights do they ha'e@0
#ama $akshmi has been with +he !ost,s India bureau since '--). .he
is a sta/ writer and India social media editor 0or !ost 1orld.
1osted by Tha'am

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