Swachh Bharat Mission Urban (launched on October 2nd, 2014 by Narendra Modi) is a flagship project aiming to promote urban cleanliness and improve sanitation across India’s cities. The article discusses the objectives of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), its implementation strategies, accomplishments, challenges and future prospects.
Swachh Bharat Mission Urban – Objectives
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Elimination Of Open Defecation
- Provide safe, sanitary and accessible toilets in all Indian urban areas to prevent open defecation.
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Waste Management:
- To ensure proper treatment and disposal of waste by developing effective solid waste systems.
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Public Awareness
- Promoting community involvement in cleanliness and sanitation initiatives, including educating citizens.
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Urban Health Improvement:
- Improve the sanitation standards to reduce disease transmission.
- Environmental Sustainability
- Promoting sustainable waste management practices and sanitation in order to protect the environmental.
Implementation strategies
1. The Construction of Toilets
- Several initiatives, aimed at constructing public toilets as well as community toilets for the benefit of marginalized groups, were undertaken under this mission. Many local authorities in urban areas (ULBs), received funding to construct adequate sanitation facilities.
2. Waste Management Solutions:
- Waste segregation, waste recycling, and waste conversion into compost have been emphasized. Many cities are adopting innovative waste management practices, like converting wastes into energy.
3. Technology and Innovation
- This mission promotes technology to improve waste management. It includes apps that track sanitation progress and report issues.
4. Build Capacity:
- Programs of training for elected officials and municipal employees to increase awareness on sanitation and hygiene.
5. Public-Private Partnership (PPP):
- Encourage collaboration between public and private agencies to improve sanitation services.
Mission’s Achievements
1. Infrastructure Development
- By 2023, more than 5 million household toilets will be installed in urban areas. In addition, over 1.3 millions community toilets and public toilets are expected to have been built.
2. SWM Initiatives
- Indore and Surat, cities with excellent solid waste management and recycling systems that achieve over 90% segregation rates and collections of wastes, have become role models.
3. Increased Awareness
- Swachh Survekshan, for example, encouraged cities and towns to rank themselves in terms of cleanliness. This increased awareness about sanitation among the citizens.
4. Health Benefits:
- In urban areas, improved sanitation has resulted in a marked decrease of water-borne diseases and other communicable illnesses. There have been reports of a significant reduction in diarrheal and cholera cases.
5. Empowering Women
- Women are empowered by the construction of sanitation facilities that are safe, accessible, and provide them with more control over their needs for sanitation. They also feel safer.
Challenges Faced
1. The Funding of Resources and the Resource:
- Insufficient funding is a problem for many ULBs despite large allocations. This leads to unfinished projects or lack of maintenance.
2. Awareness and behavior change:
- It is difficult to change the mentality of people in relation to cleanliness and sanitation, especially when it comes to rural/urban areas.
3. The Technological Gaps
- Lack of technology and properly trained personnel is another obstacle to efficient waste management.
4. Solid Waste Management:
- Many cities still lack organized systems for collecting waste, making it difficult to efficiently manage the massive volumes of waste that are generated as a result of rapid urbanization.
5. Sustainability:
- It is important to ensure the sustainability of the infrastructure and programs created under Swachh Bharat Mission. This requires ongoing commitment by all stakeholders.
Future Perspectives
1. Increased community participation:
- Encourage community involvement in sanitation projects and promote sustainability by encouraging the ownership of these projects.
2. Smart Sanitation Solutions
- Intelligent technologies like IoT waste management systems, which provide data in real time on the collection schedules as well as efficiency.
3. Continued awareness programs:
- Continually promote public awareness to help citizens adopt the habits of sanitation and separation of waste.
4. The focus on recycling:
- Innovators should focus on recycling and turning waste materials into valuable resources.
5. Policy Enhancements:
- Re-evaluating and reworking existing policies in order to meet current challenges, and incorporating best practices of successful cities.
Swachh Bharat mission (Urban): FAQs
1. What is Swachh Bharat mission (Urban) main objective?
To improve the quality of living in cities, it is important to reduce open defecation and to upgrade sanitation and waste management facilities.
2. What is the funding for Swachh Bharat Mission?
Both the state and central governments provide funding for this mission, along with contributions by local authorities and private actors. This funding will be used to construct toilets, develop waste management systems and conduct awareness campaigns.
3. What waste management measures has this mission adopted?
The measures adopted are source separation of wastes, composting initiatives, recycling campaigns and awareness campaigns.
4. How can the Mission encourage citizens to participate?
Mission encourages participation of citizens through awareness campaigns and initiatives that foster responsibility. The mission encourages citizen participation through campaigns that promote awareness and responsibility.
5. Does the mission have a monitoring system?
Yes, the performance of cities is regularly monitored through rankings in ‘Swachh Survekshan,’ which assesses various sanitation parameters to ensure accountability and improvement.
6. What are the innovations that have resulted from this mission?
Innovators include waste-to energy projects and app-based reporting systems. They also focus on the use of biodegradable material to improve sustainability.
7. What has been the impact of this mission on public health and how?
Improvements in sanitation have resulted in a decrease in waterborne disease prevalence, which has reduced healthcare costs in urban areas and improved overall health.
8. Do you have any targets in mind?
The specific goals include 100% sanitation coverage and comprehensive solid waste and recycling management systems by all local urban authorities.
9. Does the mission need additional support from the public in order to be successful?
To ensure the mission’s success, it is important that everyone takes part in cleaning, segregating waste, reporting problems, and encouraging hygienic habits within their communities.
10. What is the vision for the Swachh Bharat mission (Urban) in the future?
Long-term, the vision is to create sustainable habitats in urban areas that are clean and hygienic. They also promote high standards of living by incorporating smart sanitation into urban development.
Swachh Bharat Mission Urban (Urban Swachh Bharat Mission) is an important initiative that helps transform India’s urban areas into clean, sustainable, and safe environments. A cleaner and healthier India can only be realized by encouraging community involvement, adhering sustainable practices and promoting sustainability.
