Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) is being executed by two different ministries on Drinking Water and Sanitation (rural) and Housing and Urban Affairs (urban).
Here is a look at SBM approaches in rural and urban areas, and the drawbacks in SBM (Urban).
What is the SBM approach in rural areas?
The need for a dedicated sewerage network is less in rural areas as the toilets are connected with in-house soak pits.
Domestic waste in rural areas is also managed in a much better manner.
It is segregated at the household level and a majority of it is used in the fields.
Thus, improving the cleanliness level in a rural area is much less complex than in an urban setup.
However, the major challenge in rural areas is to change the mindset of the populace.
Persuading them to start using household toilets rather than defecate in open areas is a challenging task.
Notably, the majority of households do not have toilets in their homes.
So, the main component of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) was to construct a household latrine.
Another was to focus on information, education and communication (IEC) activities.
What is the case in urban areas?
Disposal of solid waste has 3 key components - waste collection, transfer of the waste, and proper disposal at the landfill site.
The task of waste collection and its transfer to the landfill site requires both manpower as well as an efficient transportation system.
The segregation of waste can be either at the source or at the landfill.
Segregation at source is more economical.
At the landfill, it is done by either using high-end segregation plants or manual conveyors.
What are the challenges in this?
Solid waste - In most urban areas, the disposal of solid waste is primarily the responsibility of municipalities.
However, these municipalities are not equipped with the manpower, financial resources and technology for the task.
Most of them are dependent upon the state governments for resources.
These municipalities do not have sufficient human resources in terms of engineers or sanitation staff to manage the waste.
Landfill site management is very poor due to lack of technical know-how.
Sewerage/liquid waste - Another major challenge is to manage sewerage in urban areas.
Merely constructing toilets cannot solve the problem, as urban areas require proper sewerage network.
The soak pit system that works in rural areas cannot work in urban areas due to space constraint and increasing population density.
The job of laying the sewerage network is again distributed between the state’s public health engineering department and the municipalities.
SBM (Urban) strategy’s main focus is on the construction of individual household toilets, community toilets, public urinals and IEC activities.
Worryingly, funds earmarked for solid waste management are minimal.
Similarly, there is a limited provision of funds for laying the sewerage networks.
Evidently, the strategy used for Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) may not yield results in the urban mission.
What should be done?
There is a need for revamping the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) wherein the focus is on solid waste and sewer management.
The ministry must ask the state governments to assess their capabilities in waste handling.
Sufficient funds must be provided for the collection of waste and its disposal.
A window may be given to municipalities for upgrading their capabilities to augment their revenue collection.
Separate funds must be given for the development of landfill sites.
Best possible practices for waste collection across key cities must be studied and emulated.
Adopting a piecemeal approach for constructing toilets and litter bins may not solve the systemic issue of waste disposal in cities.
Besides behavioural change, bringing change in the way waste is disposed of by the municipalities and the state governments is essential.
