essay on Swachhata and our surrounding
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An independent survey released by Quality Council of India in August 2017, reported that overall national rural "household access to toilet" coverage increased to 62.5% and usage of toilets to 91.3%, with Haryana topping the national ranking with 99% of households in rural areas covered and usage of toilets of 100%.[62] World Health Organization (WHO) has in its report stated that at least 180,000 diarrhoeal deaths were averted in rural India since the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission.[63] According to a survey carried out in 2018 and published in 2019 by National Statistical Office (NSO), 71% of rural households had access to toilets as of 2018. Though this was at odds with the Indian government's claim in 2019 that 95% of rural households had access to toilets, NSO's numbers still indicated a significant improvement over the situation during the previous survey period in 2012, when only 40% of rural households had access to toilets.[64]
Criticism
The mission is noted as the world’s largest sanitation program. It claimed to have provided millions of people access to toilet and brought about a change of behavior towards its usage.[65] Many argue that it has not really eliminated open defecation as rapidly as the government claims.[66][67][68] It has accelerated the pace of decline in open defecation.[69]
Allocation of funds
Constructing toilets became the mission's singular focus, even though elimination of open defecation and improving solid waste management were core objectives. Funds for solid waste management under the mission were diverted towards toilet construction.[70] Allocations for other sectors were also drastically reduced. Though behavioral change is one of the goals of the mission, only 1% of the mission’s outlay was spent on education and awareness.[71][72] Most of the allocation for the category, “information, education and communication”, that was to be used for awareness generation was spent towards print, radio and television advertisements.[72][70] No part of the Central Government’s allocation was spent on awareness generation at the grass roots.[70][72]
Target driven approach
The target driven approach also had its fallout; it lacked legitimacy due to extreme methods like coercion and threats like discontinuation of subsidized food grains and education of their children.[73] Households from the marginalized sections like the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes reported facing harassment and humiliation at the hands of swacchgrahis, who were often local elites.[73]
The SBM has also been criticized for being subsidy-driven rather than community-driven.[74]
Survey results
Further, open defecation was never monitored by the mission, both the ministries kept a track of toilets constructed and funds spent.[69] The reality reported by independent surveys was very different from that reported by Government sponsored surveys.[75] Researchers also found divergence between findings of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) and National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS); both conducted by the Government only a few months apart.[69] The implausible target created incentives to distort the information, indeed the number of toilets constructed were inflated as local officials faced intense pressure to meet the targets.[73] Villages, districts, towns and cities and even states declared themselves open defecation free (ODF) based on achievement of construction targets.
Interconnected challenges
By adding millions of on-site sanitation systems and not considering fecal sludge management, it will further add to pollution of the rivers in India.[76]
There is skepticism about the success of SBM which relates to sanitation workers. In 2015, one year after the launch of the program, hundreds of thousands of Indian people were still employed as manual scavengers in emptying bucket toilets and pit latrines.[77][78][79] The people who make India clean, the sanitation workers, remain "invisible in the participation, process or consequences of this national level movement".[80]:7
The SBM missed the opportunity to address interconnected challenges together; namely the issue that untouchability and social inequality are important parts of why open defecation continues.[73]
Answer: All of us live in a neighbourhood or surrounding. We must keep our surroundings neat and clean. This will help us to live healthy and better lives. Keeping our surroundings clean will only help in the betterment of society.
Every household generates waste or garbage. Now, waste or garbage should not be thrown anywhere, and everywhere, but only in trash bins. Throwing garbage all over the place will only dirty our surroundings and pollute the environment. Controlling the use of plastic bags will also help to keep our surroundings clean. One should use recycled and eco-friendly products such as paper or jute bags instead of plastic bags. Throwing of plastic bags by the roadside only makes our surroundings dirty and unhygienic. Plastic bags are not soluble so they clog drains and cause water logging.
Do not litter on the road or in your neighbourhood. Littering causes land, air and water pollution. Try planting trees and plants that will beautify our surroundings as well as keep us healthy. Greener surroundings look beautiful and also reduce pollution to keep us fit and healthy. Dirtying our surroundings will only cause harm to us. So, keep the surroundings clean and live happy and healthy lives.
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