Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat
To give more impetus to Swachh Bharat Mission (clean India campaign), Prime Minister Modi started a fortnight programme titled “Swachta hi Seva hai” (Cleanliness is Service) last year on September 15th which continued till Gandhi Jyanti (October 2nd 2017). During his Mann Ki Baat address on August 27, 2017, PM Modi called upon people to create an environment of cleanliness in the entire country so that the coming 2nd October, the third anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission and Gandhi Jayanti, can be celebrated in a befitting manner. PM had urged all NGOs, schools, colleges, social, cultural and political leaders, corporates, Government officials, District Magistrates, SDMs and Sarpanches, to accelerate Swachhta activities during the September 15 – October 2 period. This year again the swachta hi seva campaign has been continued at Government level which began on September 15th 2018 across all the states and Union territories. This fortnight sanitation campaign might have created positive impact in many states, but, as for as Jammu and Kashmir state is concerned , the impact of Swachhta Hi Seva hai is minimal. Swachhta (cleanliness) can only be a real seva (service) when Government becomes serious about management of solid and liquid waste in our hilly state especially in rural areas as J&K is under threat of serious climatic changes in the upcoming years. Unless waste management is undertaken at village and panchayat level, these campaigns won’t have any impact on peoples lives.
J&K declared ODF
Jammu and Kashmir Governor S P Malik while launching 2nd phase of Swachhta Hi Seva Hai in Srinagar recently declared Jammu and Kashmir Open Defecation Free (ODF) state. This is a good news and we must appreciate the role played by agencies involved in this work especially Municipal bodies and Rural Development Department (RDD). But when we see this from a practical perspective , open defecation was never a challenge in Jammu and Kashmir State because majority of the population in Jammu , Kashmir and Ladakh have been using lavatories from last several years. Open defecation was never appreciated by our society. But yes there were several villages and even towns where some people especially the labourers from outside state used to defecate openly and now that has come down to a great extent. The aspect of Swachhta (Cleanliness) i.e. Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) is a much bigger challenge for our state , but unfortunately this is not at all given any importance by the authorities. I have been writing on this topic from last several years. Inspite of having separate schemes under Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) for waste management , Government has completely failed to address this issue. Municipal Corporations, Councils and Committees have been entrusted the job to undertake waste management work in big cities, smaller cities and towns. In Jammu and Kashmir we have two Municipal Corporations, one in Jammu and another one in Srinagar.There are half a dozen municipal councils and more than 85 municipal committees who are involved in waste management and sanitation work across state. Due to increase in population villages too are facing the menace of solid and liquid waste, but due to unavailability of any services from Government, waste management and sanitation in rural areas remains unaddressed. In-fact there are schemes and programmes for managing solid waste in rural areas, but it seems rural waste management is not a priority for our Government. The villages are thus becoming dirtier day by day. The funds allocated for rural waste management have even not been requisitioned from Central Government. Ironically not even a single Detailed Project Report (DPR) has gone to Union Rural Development Ministry or Ministry for Drinking Water and Sanitation from J&K. The reason is , Government has not yet hired consultants at District or state level who would prepare these DPRs four years are almost over and Solid Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) programme of Swachh Bharat Mission is yet to be implemented in Jammu and Kashmir. Our authorities are only after construction of bathrooms and lavatories which infact has not at all been a major challenge for J&K, but managing garbage and liquid waste is indeed a great challenge, but this is not at all given any attention.
SWM Rules 2016
Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 (SWM-2016) focusses on source segregation of waste , its door to door collection plus creating behavioral change through Information Education and Communication (IEC) programmes. These activities were earlier prerogative of urban areas but now rural areas can also avail these facilities under Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM Gramin). The SBM Gramin guidelines issued on October 2nd 2014 has a clear policy on Solid Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) in Rural areas at panchayat level. From last almost four years, SBM Gramin guidelines are not being implemented in J&K. Our villages have been converted into garbage dumps and cesspools. Majority of our rural irrigation canals, Khuls, streams and small rivers have been chocked with polythene and solid waste. Lavatories enter into water bodies in majority of villages. If SBM Gramin guidelines will be implemented by the Rural Sanitation Department, I am sure all the villages in our state will look neat and clean within a year or so. Facilities like door to door waste collection, its segregation at source and making organic compost from the bio degradable waste material and processing of plastic and polythene can be undertaken at village level or by making village clusters. In addition to it villagers can be educated regularly about waste management through IEC programmes. From October 2014 till date SMB Gramin programme is only focusing on construction of lavatories to address open defecation which actually is not a serious issue in J&K like other states. We have abided by Amitabh Bachhan’s Darwaza Bandh slogan many decades back. Even our desi lavatories in villages have closed doors or at least jute-mat curtains. On the other hand solid waste management which is a serious issue is not being addressed in-spite of funds available for this and only thing is to get them by sending concrete proposals to Govt of India.
Conclusion
Each village gets a one time grant from Central Government for creating Solid Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) facilities like making compost units, buying push carts, machines etc. As per SBM guidelines Rs 7 lakh is provided to a village having a population upto 150 households, Rs.12 lakh for village having population upto 300 households, Rs.15 to 17 lakh for village with 500 households or more and Rs.20 lakh for village panchayats having more than 500 households. Funding for these projects under SBM(G) is provided in the ratio of 60:40 (Centre / State ratio) MP LAD ,MLAs CDF, MLCs CDF etc can also be utilized for this work. Earlier it was 75 : 25 for 3 years (until October 2017) , but J&K state failed to utilize these funds for 4 long years. Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) is a 5 year flagship programme and almost 4 years have elapsed and we have done nothing vis a vis rural waste management. I personally met with former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on January 23rd 2017 at Jammu in this regard. She even called and directed the then Rural Development Minister to start the work in around one dozen villages, but that work was never taken up. I hope Governor S P Malik , his advisor B B Vyas and Chief Secretary BVR Subramanium will take rural waste management very seriously. If we do not take steps in this direction ,our villages and agriculture land will get converted into garbage dumps in the years to come. Making committees on paper for Gobar Dhan Yojna by J&K Govt and carrying brooms and banners for photo sessions during swachhta Hi Seva campaign has to be stopped. Let us be serious about swachhta and start segregation of waste from our Govt offices first. Let the washrooms in Govt offices be kept clean. Swachhta can only be a real seva if scientific waste management is undertaken in nook and corner of Jammu and Kashmir.
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