The future presents a challenging scenario, especially in the backdrop of rising slum settlements. As compared to 52 million people residing in slums in 2001, the slum population increased dramatically to 65 million in 2013
Earlier this month, Sikkim became the first State in India to achieve 100 per cent sanitation in rural, urban households, institutions and aanganwadi centres. The Himalayan State’s quiet accomplishment under the aegis of Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan scheme implemented by the Union Ministry ensured that approximately 6,10,577 inhabitants got access to quality hygiene facilities. The awareness created under the scheme encouraged the population to improve sanitation as a pre-requisite for a disease-free and clean environment along with economic development. Today, across the country, this is precisely the need of the hour.
Over half-a-billion Indians do not have a toilet; one in two Indians, or around 650 million people, defecate in the open. This poses a serious health and environmental problem. In 2013, around 11 million new toilets were constructed, but in order to meet the sanitation targets and secure the environment, the country needs to build 78 new toilets every minute over the next four years.The Sikkim success story needs replicating, but given the diversity, scale and complexity across the country, this is easier said than done. The Government needs to play a pivotal role in integrating sanitation and washing facilities, garbage removal, wastewater disposal and storm water drainage in order to ensure clean, healthy households and environment, particularly in highly populated areas. This will have a cascading effect on the air and water quality in and around the region.
The future presents a challenging scenario, especially in the backdrop of rising slum settlements. As compared to 52 million people residing in slums in 2001, the slum population increased to 65 million in 2013. These settlements do not have adequate housing amenities, let alone sanitation facilities. As a result, garbage disposal and open toilets take a toll on the environment.
In addition to cities, the semi-urban settlements and industrial towns are increasingly becoming synonymous with poor sanitation, roads that are full of pot-holes, piles of garbage and construction debris amid unpleasant odours. All of these contribute to a bleak and disheartening visual landscape and affect the local population’s mindset and health, which in turn are influencing factors in the exodus to cities of people from rural India in search of better life-styles.
According to a United Nations report, in the developing world, roughly 90 per cent of sewage is discharged untreated into rivers, polluting waters and killing plants and fish. In South-east Asia alone, 13 million tonnes of human waste is released to inland water sources each year, along with 11 billion m3 of greywater. This presents a major health threat to people who depend upon open streams and wells for their drinking needs as the contamination destroys scarce fresh water besides endangering aquatic resources, that in turn deals an economic blow to people whose livelihoods depend upon fisheries.
One of the main reasons that Sikkim could achieve the sanitation target is due to its efficient gram panchayat. Similarly, the local administration in other parts of the country can find innovative ways of balancing and delivering local sanitation and environmental management by creating incentives for communities and industries to improve protection of water sources at the local level besides enabling wastewater treatment.
The Government should also actively deploy technologies that safeguard the environment and maximise the potential of waste products to be reused at the local level. This will have a major impact on the long-term sustainability of sanitation systems and environmental protection measures. The benefits of these technologies are that they use little water, efficiently treat the wastes and facilitate beneficial use of scarce resources.
In China today, 90 per cent of human waste is used in agriculture and this has been made possible by the concept of dry toilets that facilitate usage of the waste as fertiliser. Termed as ecological sanitation, it prevents pollution and returns nutrients to the soil, besides conserving water. Anaerobic digestion of sewage to produce biogas for energy is another technology option that is yet to see scale usage in India. The authorities should also encourage initiatives that have the mandate to ensure efficient sanitation, wastewater treatment and research newer technologies that improve the environment.
Human well-being requires a healthy environment. An efficient sanitation infrastructure combined with competent environmental conservation practices can ensure that. The Government needs to play a crucial role in bringing together various stakeholders such as local administrative departments, community representative bodies, international aid organisations and NGOs who can contribute as per their expertise and help achieve the common goal.