When we begin to read about Gandhiji, his focus on sanitation shines forth. In that era, people of his class and station didn’t clean latrines or chamber pots. He did so, so his followers would too. How could they refuse to do something the Mahatma did himself? But why the focus on sanitation? Didn’t he have enough on his plate with the struggle for Indian independence?
He did. And yet, he made sanitation a key pillar of his message because he understood that to build a strong nation, he needed strong and healthy bodies, and there is no greater force multiplier in disease avoidance than sanitation. As we know, his vision of a Swachh Bharat is yet to be realised.
In the words of Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Shekhawat, “It took us 67 years after independence to get to 38% coverage. And then in just 5 years, we got to 100% coverage.” He is, of course, talking about the Swachh Bharat Mission.
In just 10 years, the Swachh Bharat Mission has made a visible difference in the lives of millions of Indians. Even for those of us who live in cities, Swachh Bharat mission has made a tangible difference in how clean, safe and accessible our toilets are, and how clean and healthy our cities are. The mission has built over 11 crore toilets, ensuring that every Indian now has access to toilets, but the bigger job of changing mindsets still lies ahead of us as a society.
In that job, the Govt of India is not alone. As India’s leading brand in the lavatory care segment, Harpic has been standing shoulder to shoulder, communicating toilet hygiene with insight and nuance through many thought provoking campaigns. Moreover, for the last 3 years, Harpic has joined hands with News18 in creating Mission Swachhta aur Paani, a that champions the cause of inclusive sanitation, equality for all genders, abilities, castes and classes and the strong belief that clean toilets are a shared responsibility.
For 3 years now, Mission Swachhta aur Paani has served as a common platform where the right stakeholders have come together to discuss issues of importance and find solutions. It has fostered partnerships, and amplified several influential voices, in addition to running programs and initiatives that push on the key levers of the sanitation infrastructure.
The event celebrating the culmination of Season 3 of Mission Swachhta aur Paani was no different, bringing together policy makers, politicians, activists, NGOs, grassroots organisers, influencers and celebrities together on the same platform, to reflect on the progress we’ve made under the Swachh Bharat Mission in the last 10 years, and the work that lies ahead of us, collectively, as a nation.
Shri Gajendra Shekhawat gave due credit to the Prime Minister for his steady hand at the helm of the Swachh Bharat Mission. “No one imagined that the PM of the world’s oldest, largest democracy would talk about cleanliness, or that he would clean streets, build toilets and clean toilets himself. No one imagined that he would, at Kumbh, wash the feet of sanitation workers. When the PM himself sets such a strong example, how can the rest of the Govt fall behind?”
While the construction of 11 crore toilets is the fact we see most often in headlines, there are several other accomplishments of the Swachh Bharat Mission which are no less impressive. In a space of only 10 years, over 6 lakh villages are now Open Defecation Free. Moreover, 100% of our Smart Cities have achieved 100% waste collection and processing, which not only lowers their ecological footprint, but also creates avenues to make sanitation a successful business.
Indore, which stood out as the cleanest city in India according to the Suraksha Survekshan 2023, was represented at the event by Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava. In a panel discussion titled 10 Saal Bemisaal, he recounted Indore’s journey from being ranked No. 43 on the list to No.1. “One of the key changes was the removal of the large overflowing dustbins. We began collecting garbage from individual homes – initially segregated simply as wet and dry waste. Now, garbage is segregated 6 ways (dry, wet, plastic, non-plastic, sanitary waste, e-waste and hazardous waste), and sent to 10 transfer stations. Wet waste is now used to generate bio CNG, which earns the city Rs 2 Cr per year. Dry waste is processed into fuel for cement factories. Even our old dumping grounds have undergone bio-remediation, and are now repurposed as gardens that are beautiful enough to serve as venues for pre-wedding shoots.”
He credits public participation for Indore’s success. “People of Indore see the city as an extension of their homes, and extend the same hygiene sensibility. Now, on India’s 75th anniversary, the Govt has initiated a project to replicate the Indore model in 75 cities!”
Daxesh Kishorbhai Mavani, Mayor of Surat, which shared the title of cleanest city with Indore, has undertaken similar measures. He too, credits a Jan Andolan for bringing about this incredible change in Surat. However, getting everyone on the same page wasn’t easy. Surat, as an industrial centre, attracts workers from all over the country. The Surat Municipality ended up providing sanitation education in 7 different languages, to ensure that everyone understood what they were being asked to do, and to ensure compliance.
Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, drew attention to the Swachh Bharat Mission’s impact on women, in particular. He also gave kudos to the PM for leading by example. “Not only did he inspire people by his own example, he also empowered women all over rural India who had no option but to risk their health, dignity and safety every day. By constructing over 10 crore toilets, he gave these women safety and dignity, and advanced the cause of sanitation. It is only when we all live in clean surroundings, that we can have a healthy population. We have already seen a reduction in many diseases, as well as an overall improvement in women’s health.”
In a separate panel discussion, Reckitt’s Regional Marketing Director, Hygiene, South Asia, Saurabh Jain, observed that the field of sanitation has changed dramatically in the last 10 years. “When we began, the idea was to build toilets because India didn’t have a sufficient number of toilets. At the time, people looked at the goal with scepticism – will we be able to make that many toilets, and what is the incentive for people to go ahead and make toilets? Now when we reflect on that, we see the mindset has changed. Look at the way people are keeping their toilets clean as well. All this is part of the economic structure. Philanthropy will only take you so far, unless you create a commercial industry out of it.”
Naina Lal Kidwai, Chair of the India Sanitation Coalition, heartily agreed with Saurabh Jain. “My hope is that we can now plunge in with all the effort, knowledge and execution skill set where the govt owns it, and the private sector supports it. We’re beginning to see this. Look at Reckitt and others who are finally putting their hand up and saying that we want to be in the business of keeping India clean, we want to talk about toilets, we want hygiene, we want to talk about plastic waste. This is the future for us – the public private partnerships.”
Akshay Kumar, as campaign ambassador, laid out a very simple plan for ensuring the long term success of the Swachh Bharat Mission. “I believe that a clean society is the biggest enabler of a successful society. It is fundamental that we keep our country as clean as our own homes. All we have to do is keep ourselves clean, our homes clean, our surroundings clean. If each of us does this, then all our villages, towns and cities will be clean. Our beautiful country will stay clean. It’s a very simple thing.”
A lot has been accomplished, but we still have a long way to go. For each of us reading this, Akshay Kumar’s words are the bare minimum. Just like Gandhiji all those decades ago, we too, want to see our nation emerge strong and true. Just like Gandhiji, we hold the power to make that happen, in our hands. It’s when we walk the walk on sanitation that the people around us do too.
Join us here, to learn how you can do your part in creating and inspiring a Swasth and Swachh Bharat.