Importance Of Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban)
The Swachh Bharat Urban aimed at eradicating open defecation and achieving 100% scientific management of municipal solid waste has achieved its target of creating Urban India Open Defecation Free (ODF), as per government reports.
Over 4,300 urban local bodies have so far been declared open defecation-free in the country. The construction of more than 66 lakh individual household toilets and over 6 lakh community and public toilets, has far exceeded the Mission’s targets. On Solid Waste Management, 96% of wards started door to door collection, of which around 60% of the total waste generated is being processed.
To make SBM-U reach every household, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched various other initiatives like ODF, ODF+, and ODF++ Protocol.
In ODF, no visible faces shall find in the environment and every household, as well as public/community institutions, should be using safe technology options for disposal of feces.
Under ODF+, Not a single person should be defecating and/or urinating in the open. All community and public toilets should be properly maintained and cleaned.
Under ODF++, Proper treatment and management of fecal sludge/septage and sewage are safely managed and treated. There should be no discharge or dumping of untreated fecal sludge/septage and sewage in drains, water bodies, or open areas. It is designed to ensure that no untreated wastewater is discharged into the open environment or water bodies.
Star rating protocol for Garbage free cities is based on 12 parameters that follow a SMART framework — Single metric, Measurable, Achievable, Rigorous verification mechanism and Targeted towards outcomes. Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Ambikapur (Chattisgarh), Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra), and Mysuru (Karnataka) have been certified as 5-star cities, as of date.
Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) has also partnered with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to use plastic waste for road construction.
Additionally, cities have been asked to set up adequate Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) to handle the segregation, processing, and recycle of plastic waste.
MoHUA also launched the Swachh Survekshan 2020 (SS 2020) league, a quarterly cleanliness assessment of cities and towns in India.
Lack of water connections in toilets and the absence of robust sewage systems have been some of the shortcomings of Urban Swachh Bharat Mission. Even in waste management, currently, only 46% is being scientifically processed. The rest is disposed of in dump yards or landfills by urban local bodies.
The need of the hour is to develop strategies for providing basic services to the urban areas and efforts should be made to improve the on-ground implementation of these schemes. Urban local bodies in India, which lack critical infrastructure and capability, should be provided support and equipped with better resources and avenues to enhance citizen participation.
