5 Easy Ways To Contribute Towards Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has been India’s greatest achievement. Launched in 2014 by our Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Swachh Bharat Mission aims at promoting cleanliness, hygiene, and sanitation in the country. Every individual must have contributed to this mass mission to make India cleaner and greener. Numerous projects and efforts have been taken by both the Central and State Governments to work towards the goal of “Swachh Bharat”.

Swachh Bharat Mission has launched two programs for rural areas and urban areas, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan-Gramin, which can also be known as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan(rural) and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan-Urban respectively. These programs have made a significant difference in the journey of achieving a cleaner India. The overall campaign started off with the construction of public toilets as well as toilets in every household. The primary objective of this mission is to spread awareness about cleanliness and sanitation. To do that, it was important to start from the very basic, eradicating open defecation.

Open defecation and contamination of water are two major problems that have been the biggest hurdles to overcome in the attainment of Swachh Bharat. Hence, the spread of awareness and encouragement towards proper waste disposal, both liquid and solid, was extremely important. It was essential for people to know how these problems will have the worst consequences, right starting from the spread of communicable and fatal diseases. Household trash must be separated as wet and dry waste as it is environmentally friendly. Thus, it is the responsibility of every citizen to work toward this mission and fulfill the dream of a Cleaner and Greener India. Education and awareness of sanitary practices should start from the roots, in the rural areas. Making people aware of the importance of toilets and keeping the environment clean is extremely crucial.

How can one contribute to this mission?

1. All households must practice waste segregation. Wet and dry waste must be separated and disposed of separately as it is environmentally friendly and also, according to Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2016, have made waste segregation mandatory. When households segregate the waste, it gets easier for collection, and treatment becomes much easier.
2. To encourage proper sanitary practices and make people aware of the importance of sanitation, the Government has given funds to rural households to construct a toilet in their houses. This was done to eradicate open defecation and promote the importance of personal hygiene. Hence, families must build a toilet in their house to practice sanitation and cleanliness and also for the safety of women in their houses.
3. Regular checks on sweeping of roads and proper garbage pick-up and disposal must be done. This regulation will promote structured and systematic waste disposal and not lead to the breeding of open garbage disposal pits which will cause the spread of communicable diseases.
4. An individual must practice sanitation and cleanliness both at home and in public areas. Everyone should have the basic decency to throw away any used plastic bottles, water bottles, etc. into trash cans, which in fact have been installed every 50 to 100 meters in public areas and on footpaths.
5. Participate in rallies and movements which are associated with Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. This will encourage one to keep their surroundings clean and also become one’s personal contribution to the movement. Following the three Rs of recycling, reuse, and reduce is also a crucial step in this journey.

Hence, here are just five ways one can contribute. There are many other activities that can be done to promote the message of Swachh Bharat and achieve the goal of a Clean and Green India.