Urban Agenda

SBM U 2.O Indian cities will now be garbage free, have safe water

Ashok WAnkhAde

Managing Editor One Of the Government of India’s most ambitious projects – the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), was recently revived by Prime Minister narendra Modi. however, before we delve into how effective SBM-U 2.0 will turn out to be, we must understand what its objectives are.

SBM-U 1.0 targeted the achievement of Open Defecation free (ODf) status for all urban local bodies (ULBs) in India, building of toilets and making them accessible to all sections of society, and ensuring scientific waste management. In the past seven years, SBM-U 1.0 has managed to make over 4000 ULBs in India ODf, over 950 cities ODf++, and has also lead to over 70 per cent of India’s waste being treated scientifically. Additionally, over 62.37 lakh individual toilets and over six lakh community and public toilets were also constructed under the Mission, both surpassing their initial mission targets. Lastly, as a direct result of the Mission’s guidelines, all faecal sludge from the toilets thus constructed is also treated responsibly, ensuring that it is not dumped into nearby rivers or open landfills. Thus, it is safe to say that SBM-U 1.0 was a success. However, India’s journey to becoming a clean and 100 per cent waste treating country is still far from over.

With the launch of SBM-U 2.0, the Government of India now aims to achieve ODf+ status for all ULBs in India, and ODf++ status for ULBs with less than one lakh population, along with grey and black water management throughout the country. the Mission will also focus on source segregation and scientific processing of all types of waste, adherence to the concept of 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), and remediation of legacy dump sites across Indian cities. These too are gigantic tasks set forth under the Mission. however, with a budget outlay of around `1.41 lakh crore, the targets have come in sight.

One of the most prominent issues that the government will face while implementing this Mission will be a lack of public awareness on the importance of targets set under the Mission. Carrying on the legacy of the first edition of the Mission will be a good move for the government, ensuring that people understand why it is important for them to use toilets, segregate their waste and hand it over to the respective ULB officials accordingly. The next issue will arise in cities achieving the ODF+ and ODF++ certification. Although a number of cities have already declared themselves as ODf+ and ODf++, the journey for the rest of them will be long. One of main reasons for this is the absence of waste transportation and treatment facilities. Although large metropolises like Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai have worked hard on increasing the number of sanitation workers employed to keep toilets built under SBM clean, simply increasing the number of sanitation workers will not be enough. the government will have to adopt modern technologies like automatic sensors and onsite waste remediation. this will help in reducing the cost and effort required to transport and treat faecal sludge from community and public toilets, thereby making it easier to keep them clean as the fund hence left unused can be directed to keep them cleaner. The government’s ambitions behind SBM-U 2.0 are humungous and in line with Agenda 2030. However, only a clear, planned, and well-funded mission, executed with a bird’s eye view will be able to set things straight in India’s sanitation journey and help it achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

How PMC fought COVID battle

Misfortunes never come singly. Events in the last 18 months were unimaginable. Hard times like these test the character of a person, an administration, and a society. I have first-hand experience of the great fight the administration and civil society put against the coronavirus pandemic.

Two Pune residents tested COVID positive on March 9, 2020. They had a travel history in Dubai. But everyone was dealing with the situation in hands with some experience of past pandemics and a few lessons from already affected countries. Within seven days, we specially arranged of `One crore from the Mayor’s Fund and installed 100 beds and 12 ICU beds in Dr Naidu hospital. Parallelly, the Pune Municipal Corporation focused on tracing and testing all the contacts of the COVID patients. The number of infected persons rose rapidly. Swab testing facility was available in only Dr Naidu Hospital and only the National Institute of Virology was processing the samples. The city administration opened quarantine centres to accommodate the rising number of infected citizens. Meanwhile, the Central Government announced a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus. While we were dealing with the health crisis, the need to provide shelter and food for needy people emerged at a rapid speed. PMC took help from private hospitals as well. Though everyone was striving hard, no one knew the exact treatment. Availability of vaccines and the world’s largest vaccination drive has really helped public life to get back on track. One of the finest coordinated vaccination programs is being implemented in Pune city with the help of all PMCrun and private hospitals. Pune is aiming to vaccinate all the eligible population within the next few months and that will help us make a ‘corona-free city’. We have learnt crucial lessons. Though Pune is now witnessing a significant drop in new infection cases, we are well aware that the war is still not over. PMC is also now prepared to tackle the third wave of coronavirus infections, if it comes. In Pune, we now have over 12 oxygen generation plants, two jumbo covid centres, and special ICU beds for children. Pune Municipal Corporation is always striving hard to be a step ahead and vigilant in protecting our city.