Its importance & ways to contribute
Do you know that around 2.4 billion people in the world do not have access to toilets? But the sad part is, most of this population resides in India. According to the Supreme Court of India, cleanliness and Sanitation is a fundamental right. The problem is huge but it has been beginning to be solved.
Not only the government, we as individuals, need to play our roles as well to make India a cleaner destination. For all of this, the Swachh Bharat initiative has been the most notable campaign by the Government of India.
Why are sanitation and hygiene crucial?
There are a plethora of reasons why sanitation is very crucial. Following are the four major reasons why we should maintain hygiene and sanitation at any cost.
● Poor sanitation and hygiene are the main reasons for the spread of deadly diseases.
● Around 1 lakh children under the age of 5 succumb to diarrhea caused by poor sanitation.
● 38% of stunted growth (physical and mental) and 14% of neonatal death due to sepsis are also attributed to inadequate sanitation
Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan: a mission towards clean India To solve this pressing problem in the country, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi initiated a campaign “Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan” in the year 2014.
Within two years, the government had won much appreciation and accolades by building more than 1.5 crore household toilets, 65,108 community toilets, and 11,705 public toilets. In fact, by 2017, around 96% of people had access to clean drinking water in rural India. This shows how serious the Government of India is regarding Swacch Bharat Abhiyan. Well, the work is still being done. Having the goal of achieving Universal coverage of Sanitation, the campaign has been one of the pivots to the Government.
How can we as individuals contribute?
While the government is doing its part, we can’t turn our heads away from our responsibilities. As individuals, we can take a few vital steps, such as;
● Always use toilets for urination and defecation.
● Segregate wastes into biodegradable, non-biodegradable, and recyclable wastes.
● Don’t spit or litter outside.
● Educate your domestic workers about sanitation and hygiene.
● Declutter your house by donating to needy people.
● Work together with volunteers to keep your locality clean.
● Post pictures of you doing your bit on social media with the hashtag #swacchbharat or #cleanindia to inspire the public.
● If you see anyone dumping their wastes outside, educate them politely about the health hazards it can cause them and others.
● Carry your water bottle and cloth bag whenever you go out.
● Be consistent in what you do. Let cleanliness become your habit.
The last words
Meagan Francis once said, "Cleaning and organising is a practice, not a project". We need to practice it daily; it is not a one-time deal. We dream of a developed India, but before anything, we must dream of a clean India. It is today a well-established fact that a healthy mind lives inside a healthy body & a healthy environment. This mission can be accomplished if each individual is responsible for keeping their surroundings clean.
Sources:
https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/chart-24-billion-people-live-without-access-toilets
https://www.orfonline.org/research/swachh-bharat-mission-achievements-challenges/
