4th March 2013
A day begins with a hot coffee and a newspaper. But you don’t
want images of garbage piles ‘adorning’ the front page of the paper. You
snug off tagging Bangalore as the garbage city. But wait…there was a
similar instance 18 years back in Gujarat. The city was Surat.
Historically, Surat City was known for its filthiness, a city “floating on sewage water”. Today, it has transformed in to a city with zero-garbage roads, micro-level waste management and responsible private contractors of garbage disposal. It is now the cleanest city of Gujarat.
Surat, 18 years back, was a mirror image of what Bangalore is today. Poor sanitation in Surat had led to the outbreak of a deadly plague claiming many lives. Subsequent to the plague outbreak, the immediate step taken by Surat Municipal Corporation was to prioritize health and clean sanitation and today Surat stands clean after shedding off the stigma of a filthy tag it was once associated with.
What led to the change?
Government’s Role:
As an attempt to erode the tag it had earned, a massive clean-up process was initiated by the government. Their first step in the strategy was to clean up the existing garbage mess which involved cleaning of roads at night. The city was divided in to six zones to facilitate a better monitoring of their plan strategy. The next step was to search for private garbage contractors for waste management as well as its transport. From here the solid waste management department would collect, segregate and recycle the organic waste to compost. Along with this, the government revamped the whole administration for solid waste management. Finance and functionaries were well monitored in all the 52 wards of the city. A “Public Health Mapping” was an initiative that was launched by the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) that maps the health condition, leaking drains, drinking water, sanitation and major diseases’ outbreaks.
Public Participation
The citizens of Surat played an active role in helping to clean by abiding the laws enforced on them. They decided to collectively give their best to keep the city clean as they would be the beneficiary or otherwise depending on the state. A penalty of Rs. 50 for littering was imposed by the Municipal Act of Gujarat and this was welcomed by the citizens. Also citizens conveyed their problems through grievance redressal cards by which their garbage related complaints were assured to be solved within 24 hours.
For a growing city like Surat, increase in population and urban development were certainly few challenges towards maintaining cleanliness. But participatory citizens along with a responsible administration worked wonders in transforming a dirty city to one of the cleanest in India.
Can Bangalore replicate the same?
Although Bangalore populace is much bigger than small cities such as Surat, efficient implementation can lead to success. Responsive public, immediate and strategic plan to manage waste and prioritizing public health will sow some hope of change in the citizens of Bangalore.
.
Surat then and now
Surat in 1994 Surat in 2012
Historically, Surat City was known for its filthiness, a city “floating on sewage water”. Today, it has transformed in to a city with zero-garbage roads, micro-level waste management and responsible private contractors of garbage disposal. It is now the cleanest city of Gujarat.
Surat, 18 years back, was a mirror image of what Bangalore is today. Poor sanitation in Surat had led to the outbreak of a deadly plague claiming many lives. Subsequent to the plague outbreak, the immediate step taken by Surat Municipal Corporation was to prioritize health and clean sanitation and today Surat stands clean after shedding off the stigma of a filthy tag it was once associated with.
What led to the change?
Government’s Role:
As an attempt to erode the tag it had earned, a massive clean-up process was initiated by the government. Their first step in the strategy was to clean up the existing garbage mess which involved cleaning of roads at night. The city was divided in to six zones to facilitate a better monitoring of their plan strategy. The next step was to search for private garbage contractors for waste management as well as its transport. From here the solid waste management department would collect, segregate and recycle the organic waste to compost. Along with this, the government revamped the whole administration for solid waste management. Finance and functionaries were well monitored in all the 52 wards of the city. A “Public Health Mapping” was an initiative that was launched by the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) that maps the health condition, leaking drains, drinking water, sanitation and major diseases’ outbreaks.
Public Participation
The citizens of Surat played an active role in helping to clean by abiding the laws enforced on them. They decided to collectively give their best to keep the city clean as they would be the beneficiary or otherwise depending on the state. A penalty of Rs. 50 for littering was imposed by the Municipal Act of Gujarat and this was welcomed by the citizens. Also citizens conveyed their problems through grievance redressal cards by which their garbage related complaints were assured to be solved within 24 hours.
For a growing city like Surat, increase in population and urban development were certainly few challenges towards maintaining cleanliness. But participatory citizens along with a responsible administration worked wonders in transforming a dirty city to one of the cleanest in India.
Can Bangalore replicate the same?
Although Bangalore populace is much bigger than small cities such as Surat, efficient implementation can lead to success. Responsive public, immediate and strategic plan to manage waste and prioritizing public health will sow some hope of change in the citizens of Bangalore.
.
Surat then and now
Surat in 1994 Surat in 2012
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