Civic Sense in India and Cleanliness of Public Spaces

When people talk about cleanliness of public spaces in India, civic sense or the lack of it is often quoted as one of the prime reasons for the squalor that we see all around us. Is it true that we Indians lack civic sense? If so what are the possible reasons for it? Do they apply to us all or certain groups amongst us? These are questions we need to explore as we try to find solutions to the mess we find ourselves in.

Civic sense is defined variously as the sense of community, individuals feel towards the communities they live in or a complex phenomenon encompassing an individual's perception of, attitude and feelings towards his or her community. It is wrong to say that Indians lack civic sense. After all the Indian population carried out the most revolutionary and largest  manifestation of civic action in history during the mass movement for India's independence from colonial rule sixty-five years ago. The periodic Indian elections have shown that our people are quite capable of exercising their civic responsibilities when the need arises. Most recently we have seen it on the streets of New Delhi during the protests against the gang rape atrocity.

However, it is safe to say that we Indians seem to lack civic sense when it comes to cleanliness of our public spaces. If this is indeed true, why is it so? How are we different from other populations around the world that seem to have a better record when it comes to this crucial aspect of community? The answers are not simple, but need to be explored.

1. Selfishness and self-centredness
Not all Indians are self centred, but some certainly are. There is an ingrained tendency in us to put ourselves first over everyone else. There is nothing wrong in that, as it is after all a strategy for survival in a country with scarce resources. If we are to survive, we have to look after ourselves and ours first and not care about others. This  attitude is most easily externalized when it comes to the upkeep of public spaces. We teach our children to succeed by thinking about themselves and themselves alone. It works well to compete for plum educational opportunities and jobs but does instill a sense of disdain for the rest of the population. This naturally manifests as a profound disregard for the space that others inhabit. It is easy to ignore the public space. The tendency is to get ahead individually at any cost. The cost of course is to the rest of society. As the economy improves and the nation's wealth increases this attitude might change. The need for such extreme selfishness might dissipate.

2.The public space as alien space
Although Indians are a very patriotic people and most would stand up for their country when the time comes, there is a curious lack of concern when it comes to public spaces. There is a tendency to treat the public space as alien and forbidding. It may have to do with the fragmentation of Indian society along community, caste, religious and linguistic lines. People want their off spring to be "pure" and not get contaminated by other folk. The modern Indian citizen will certainly dispute this, but a close examination of Indian society suggests that this is indeed true. By keeping the public space a scary and unwelcoming place, we discouraged our children from interacting with others whom we distrusted, feared or looked down upon. So we made it an unsafe and unclean place. Our children especially the female kind were discouraged to linger outside their homes. If the space outside the home was unsafe and unclean the traditional Indian secretly liked it. However this is surely going to change and is in fact changing fast. As more and more people, especially women venture outside their traditional enclaves in pursuit of wider educational and employment opportunities the classrooms and workplaces of our country are becoming less forbidding places. They will eventually foster a sense of wider community among our people and hopefully more civic sense.

3. Colonial influence
India was under European colonial rule wholly or in parts for roughly three centuries or more. Even before that, the rulers of many parts of India were alien conquerors. This might have affected the Indian psyche vis a vis its civic sense in more than one way.
a) Denigration by the rulers
Conquerors generally control a subjugated population by several means. Exercising brute force has always been the primary method. However other subtle methods have certainly contributed. One such method is to break the self-esteem of the population by destroying its belief in its values and traditions. By systemically devaluing a society repeatedly they portray themselves as the superior society. Macaulay's famous but erroneous assertion that the whole literature of India would barely fill a shelf is an example of this. Perceived deficiencies in the subjugated nation were highlighted and publicized. One such  assertion was that the Indian was unclean. In time the Indian himself came to believe that he was unclean and unable to maintain the cleanliness of public spaces.This is particularly true of the generation that were born in the pre independence period. Everything that was clean and nice was from England and India was dirty. This is something the British instilled in the Indian mind and has persisted post independence.
b) Defiance to colonial rule
In conquered lands the public space belongs to the ruling power and not to the population as opposed to democracies or other forms of indigenous rule where there is a greater sense of ownership of the public space. In the years leading up to independence desecration of the public space may have been used as a tool to defy colonial British rule. However people like Mahatma Gandhi did bemoan the lack of civic sense in our people during the Indian Freedom Struggle.
That being said, we cannot blame our colonial past for every ill besetting our nation. It is time we moved on. It is time to show the world what we can be.

4. Poverty
Profound disparity does exist in our country when it comes to economic means. We do have a segment of the population that is extremely poor by any measure. It is difficult to preach cleanliness to people when they live in squalor because they cannot afford better. They live in the many slums that dot every city and town in our country.When their daily existence is a struggle and an eternal battle for survival, how could we expect them to be conscious of the cleanliness of their surroundings? We cannot wait for the trickle down from a burgeoning economy to take care of them. We need innovative and visionary programs to help them. Every society needs a social net. We have to build a robust one for the poor in India so that they do not languish in ever expanding and ever more congested slums.

5. Illiteracy and ignorance
Lack of proper education continues to haunt the development of India. Although India possesses some the most educated people and brightest minds in the world, it also has its areas of darkness. It has many people who are not aware of the benefits of a clean environment and do not make the connection between disease and squalor. As literacy spreads, and the population gets educated, hopefully this will resolve itself. More and more people will realize the benefits of clean environments and fewer and fewer will stick to the old ways. They will be the vanguard of a revolution that will sweep India quite literally and figuratively. The teachers of this country have an all important role to play in this regard.

6. Religion
We have great religions in India. All the major religions of the world have found a home in this vast, ancient and beautiful land. They all preach good things. They all hold cleanliness as a sacred virtue. Go visit the inside premises of a place of worship in India, be it a mandir, temple, mosque, dharga, gurdwara, church or other godly space and see how clean they are. Hinduism venerates Mother Earth and worships her as a goddess. Then how come this cleanliness does not spread outside the places of worship? Perhaps it has something to do with the asceticism that lingers in the Indian psyche. Indian spirituality has always venerated the renunciation of luxury and poor unkempt men who have given up their worldly life and embraced an existence of want, are venerated as sadhus. Is it possible that the Indian psyche considers the cleanliness of public spaces a luxury and therefore renounces it? Perhaps we feel guilty to want clean public spaces when we see so many of our countrymen languish in squalor due to dire poverty. However this has not stopped many from wanting the best for themselves and theirs in private, including spotlessly clean homes. We have to use the power that religion holds over our people to do good. One such good would be to emphasize the cleanliness preached by all religions and extend it into the public space. The religious leaders, priests and other religious minded people have a great responsibility in fostering civic sense in our people.

These may not be the correct reasons for the deficiencies in civic sense in India. There may be others we do not know about. Whatever the reasons might be, the time has come to ponder and find solutions. We have to galvanize our people to action. We have to foster a culture of civic pride. Let us unite and build an India that is clean and bright. Let us be a beacon to all mankind.

The Causes of Unclean Public Spaces

When our public spaces spaces are unclean, many socio-political factors are at play. It is important to take stock of these, if we are to find viable solutions. Some are citizen related and others are related to governance. Yet others are related to socio-economic development of the country in general.

1. Lack of Civic Sense and Pride
When the citizenry fails to adopt clean behaviours, it is difficult for any government to maintain clean spaces. Littering, spitting, urinating and defecating in public spaces are human behaviours that are difficult to police unless the vast majority of people change their attitudes towards these practices. Penalties and other deterrences work only when a few people err, not when a large segment society continues to defy the rules. For this the general public has to espouse a sense of ownership of these spaces and take pride in keeping them clean. Indians are a very proud people and take great pride in their country's achievements. The different states and regions also have their individual pride. It is somewhat perplexing that this pride does not apply to cleanliness of the public commons. One possibility is that society does not value cleanliness. However most Indian people value the cleanliness of their personal space and have no problem keeping their homes clean. The lack of pride is confined to the public space. We will explore the possible reasons for this in another article.

2. Lack of Governance
Poor governance at every level is endemic in India. Unclean public spaces are a sure sign of a poorly governed jurisdiction. Sixty five years after independence, we Indians appear unable to govern ourselves. Indian governance has been an empty promise - we have a lot of talent, we talk big but achieve little on the ground. How difficult is it to put the infrastructure in place to facilitate clean human behaviour? This is not rocket science. Many countries around the world  have done it and are doing it. There is a profound absence of a culture of excellence in government service. The authorities and administrators should have the passion and drive to make their villages, towns and cities better.  If you say this to the average Indian Babu, he would think you are mad. That attitude has to change. Elected office and government jobs are not for personal gain alone, but for the public good too. These folks at the present time, seem to lack patriotism, which is very sad. Corruption, the curse of our nation also wreaks havoc in this regard.

3. Poverty
Although India is no longer a poor country and its GDP is growing steadily, it has many poor people. The stark poverty is both urban and rural. When people are dirt poor it is difficult to preach cleanliness to them. It is simply not their priority. Theirs is a struggle for survival. Many people live in slums that are no better than huge garbage dumps and eke out a living as ragpickers. That said many societies around the world are poor but are not unclean. Although there are many reasons why poverty and squalor can go together, it is not always true that poverty-stricken places are necessarily unclean. Even in our own country there are villages that are poor but clean. For example Mawlynnong in Meghalaya a village in the economically depressed North East of India, is often called the cleanest village in Asia. But money does matter as the progress shown in the cities of Gujarat for instance demonstrate. By that measure the economically more progressive states should be cleaner. But Tamil Nadu one of the faster developing states, does lag behind in cleanliness despite rapid economic progress.

4. Illiteracy
Lack of education is definitely a barrier to better maintenance of public places. If people are uneducated, they fail to make the connection between uncleanliness, poor hygiene, sanitation and disease. Our education system has to inculcate a sense of public responsibility in our kids. The culture has to change. They should learn to take ownership of their country. Teachers have a huge responsibility here. We need motivated and passionate teachers. Kerala is one of the more literate states and is also one of the cleanest. So there certainly is an association. Again by this measure also Tamil Nadu should be cleaner than it is.

These are entrenched problems that need to be overcome to achieve our goal of clean public spaces in India. The country is progressing economically and literacy levels are rising. The poverty and illiteracy should eventually decrease. But for civic pride and good governance to take hold, economic progress alone may not be enough. We need a sea change in attitude.

The Sources of Uncleanliness

In Tamil Nadu and India most public spaces are sadly in an unclean state. For an advanced and ancient civilization, it is indeed a perplexing problem. Sixty five years after independence, India still struggles to keep its public spaces clean. Any responsible society should pause and reflect why it is so and find solutions. To find solutions we have to clearly identify the problems. As part of this we have to define the sources of dirt.

1. Littering
Although people litter in any society, it can be safely said India truly leads in this behaviour. Littering is a personal behaviour that can only be eliminated if individuals take responsibility. It is difficult to police and penalize when it is so widespread. The majority has to modify their behaviour. Punitive measures can take care of the minority who would not change. An all out effort should be taken to modify the behaviour of the masses. Education, spreading awareness and fostering of civic pride are essential. Behaviour is difficult to modify in the adult. Efforts should be made to win over children and young adults. Local governments and other agencies or private entities that manage public spaces should provide the infrastructure such as bins and maintain and service them regularly.

2.Dumping
Dumping is the act of transporting ones waste to another site and depositing it in that space. Dumping of some sort takes place in most societies often surreptitiously and is an illegal activity. What is different in India is that it is done quite openly in plain daylight. What is worse is that it is often practiced by local government bodies. This has to stop. If a local government bodies does it,  the levels of governments above them should intervene. The authorities at every level must be more responsible. It is an activity that is easily prevented by adequate legislation and enforcement. Stiff penalties should be imposed. Again proper infrastructure and systems to facilitate proper disposal are important.

3. Spitting
This is a uniquely Indian phenomenon. Spitting in public spaces is a curse of our country. Again aggressive behaviour modification campaigns are needed followed by penalties. In jurisdictions like Mumbai, penalties are in effect and efforts are made to enforce them but are largely unsuccessful due lack of behaviour modification of the masses.

4.Public Urination
Urinating in public is accepted behaviour for men in India. It is not so in most parts of the world. Many people who habitually urinate in public spaces would be surprised, if told that what they do is wrong. After all they have been doing it all their lives. This has to change. Mass education and change in community attitudes is needed. By the same token the authorities have to provide clean, convenient toilet facilities and maintain and service them regularly. After that, the ones who do not comply can be persecuted.

5. Open Defecation
It is an open secret that many people in the state and country continue to defecate in the open. Although a shameful fact to many, it is a real problem and has to be dealt with. Again mass education and behaviour modification is needed. Many programs initiated by various levels of government are available and should be utilized properly.

6. Discharge of sewage into common water bodies
This is criminal, but nevertheless exists. This is the rich man's open defecation. People who live in swanky apartment buildings blissfully ignore the fact that the excreta flushed down their toilets ends up in a local river or lake untreated. Their social consciousness is limited to just holding their noses tight when passing these polluted water bodies. Buildings and new housing should not be allowed to be built until the builders have shown proof how they are going to handle the sewage.

If the above problems are addressed, our public spaces will be second to none in the world. It is a challenging task, but can be done. It has to be done. We owe it to our country. We owe it to ourselves, our children and theirs.

Individual to the State - The Continuum of Responsibility

If we want to get our country clean, the responsibility should encompass all levels of society from the individual to the government.

1. The individual
We cannot achieve our goals without the cooperation of the individual citizen. Individuals have to be convinced of the importance of a clean environment and believe that it can be achieved. The first people to change often find it very difficult. It can be frustrating and disappointing to see that others do not adhere to behavioural changes that the individual had embraced. This can lead to disillusionment and reversal of the positive individual behavioural change. We often hear people say "what is the point in me putting garbage in the bin, when ten others around me throw garbage wherever they please". Moreover human beings want to conform and blend-in with the wider society. They do not want to be different and be the odd person out. They might want to avoid ridicule. So if the majority urinates against the public wall, the individual might find it difficult to be the one who uses the toilet. On the other hand individual thought and action has quite often changed the course of history. The founding of great religions, political movements and institutions can be traced back to a single individual or small group of people. So the individual, once convinced, has to persist and strive to be a catalyst for change.

2. The family
Next, change has to occur  at the level of the smaller units of the community. The family being the next level after an individual, change is crucial at this level. Close family members are the ones over whom most people have the greatest influence. Influencing children about positive behaviour is what all families do. Keeping the environment clean should be one of those positive behaviours that parents have to cultivate in their children. Homes have to be at the forefront of this revolution. If home composting, recycling, source segregation of waste etc. are to take hold, all members of a household have to do their part.

3. Communities
The next level would be neighbourhoods, streets and apartment buildings. Resident organisations play a critical part here. They can change community attitudes and behaviour by the herd mentality that is so inimical to individual change. Here the herd mentality can used to advantage. If most people adhere to a certain change in behaviour others will follow. Moreover there is power in numbers. Resident groups can set up collective mechanisms, as we have seen in communal composting of waste in certain apartment buildings in cities like Bangalore.

4. Institutions
By institutions we mean places where people go to study, work and shop. Schools, colleges and universities are obvious targets.  Schools have always been  agents of change. It is easy to change young minds. Workplaces like offices and factories are also places where behavioural change can be easily enforced. Malls and markets have to implement clean practises. It is good for business and will ultimately enhance their revenues.

5. Corporations
We see many many corporations setting up manufacturing units employing hundreds of workers. These corporations should strive to empower their employees to indulge in behaviour that will keep the environment clean. They should also be good corporate citizens and help keep the external environments clean. Companies should adopt public spaces in the vicinity of their operations. The Pepsico-Exnora collaboration in Pammal is a case in point. Local governments can give tax breaks to corporations that step up to keep public spaces clean. As private sector entities, you can expect them to be more efficient than the public sector. Too often we note big corporations hiding in their clean compounds behind high walls and fences and letting the outside remain an eyesore. These multinationals cannot get away with such behaviour in many other countries.


7. Government
The various levels of government are indeed the ultimate arbiters of societal change. They have the power and wherewithal to bring about sweeping change through positive and negative reinforcement of mass behaviour. Through legislation, policing and awareness campaigns they have the greatest power to bring about change. They are responsible for the infrastructure and maintenance. We have seen successive governments in Kerala emphasize cleanliness as a goal and the results are easy to see. However governments alone cannot achieve the desired goals without the cooperation of the citizenry. Nationwide campaigns like the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan are welcome but need public participation to be successful.

So if all these levels of society work together and cooperate, it will be just a matter of time before the country becomes clean and remains clean.

The Costs of Unclean Public Spaces

An unclean environment costs us in many ways. From increased medical costs to lost productivity to loss of prestige and investment, we all lose when our land is unclean.

1. Health
Poor hygiene causes many diseases. From diarrhoeal illness to vector borne diseases and parasites, there are many diseases that can be easily prevented by keeping the environment clean.Illness leads to an unhealthy population and can have individual and collective losses. Severe infections can lead to premature death . Diseases cause severe economic loss to the community. Poor families lose income when wage earners cannot work due to illness. They spend valuable rupees on medical treatment. If they lose money this way they will have less to save and spend. When wage earners die they cause severe economic hardship to surviving dependents.This leads to an overall loss of capital to the community. Productivity is lost.The economy of the country suffers as a result. Economic progress is stilted.

2. Investment
External investors can be turned off by unclean environments. New industries, especially those related to food and pharmaceuticals, may be reticent to invest in areas deemed unhygienic. The community loses valuable infusion of capital.The creations of new jobs is affected. The economy of the country suffers.

3. Tourism
Our governments spend crores of rupees on campaigns like Incredible India and Enchanting Tamil Nadu. They do this with the intention of attracting foreign tourists. Tourism done well, can generate tremendous income to the country and the communities involved. If the country is unclean the crores spent on advertising campaigns is wasted, as tourists generally get turned off by unsanitary environments. This is partly due to fear of disease and revulsion of visible dirt and bad odours.

4. Prestige
India has a lot of soft power to project abroad. Our film industry; culture; classical dance forms; music; literature; spirituality;our prowess in information technology and knowledge based industries; the varied beauty of our land from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari; all contribute to a positive image abroad. This image is sullied by the unclean state of our streets. This costs us on the international stage. In world forums our image is important for our diplomats to advance our interests. If the world thinks that we are incapable of keeping our public spaces clean, it will not take us seriously in matters that are more serious.

So it is important to keep our streets and public spaces clean to advance the country's development and progress. It is not a cosmetic, frivolous pursuit. A clean country has tangible real benefit for all segments of society.

The Blame Game

When the streets are unclean the public blames the authorities. The government is criticised. The engineers, managers, supervisors etc. are all called to task as they should be. People are quick to point the finger at poor governance. Municipal workers are accused of incompetence and laziness.

On the other hand, the authorities blame the public. The people who litter, dump garbage in open spaces in the cover of darkness and in broad daylight, shamelessly spit, urinate and defecate in public places, are all blamed. The irresponsible people who refuse to use garbage bins even when they are available and those who use public toilets with no concern for others who have to use it after them are definitely poor citizens.

The sad truth is that in our country both are right in what they say and wrong in what they do. To maintain clean public spaces the authorities and the citizenry have to cooperate and work in unison. One cannot do it without the other. No amount of garbage bins and public toilets can keep the cities and towns clean unless people actually use them. People cannot be expected to to do their part if the proper amenities are not provided. No society can expect people to haul refuse around with them until they find a place to dispose of it. To urinate and defecate are human bodily functions. People cannot be expected to hold their bladders and bowels for indefinite periods. They will relieve themselves wherever they can. For all the talk of civilisation, humans are but animals after all.

So we have to deal with two problems here. One behavioural and the other one of governance. The two solutions have to converge. For us to create the critical mass of clean spaces for the tipping point to occur quickly, both problems have to be solved simultaneously. Proper governance will ensure adequate and convenient infrastructure and the manpower and funds to maintain them; the public has to use them with care and consideration.

We have to stop the blame going around and around like a vicious cycle and find solutions that will embrace both sides and lead to sustainable clean environments.

There are plenty of examples that it can be done. A visit to the UNESCO world heritage sites at Thanjavur, Gangaikondacholapuram and Darasuram gives one ample proof that clean public spaces can be maintained in Tamil Nadu and India if we want to. On a recent visit to Gangaikondacholapuram, we witnessed a woman carelessly tossing a banana skin on the ground and within seconds a member of the cleaning staff picked it up and tossed it into a garbage bin. Although changing the behaviour of the woman is important, what was refreshing to see was that there was the system to rectify the problem caused by the erring woman. On the other hand if all the visitors had thrown banana skins on the ground no number of cleaning staff would be adequate to keep the place clean. The fact that the place was clean is testimony to the behaviour of most people in that space who did not litter in this clean environment. The same cannot be said of the adjoining town of Jayamkondan which looks filthy. The goal should be to take the lessons of the pockets of excellence to the wider community.

So, without blaming each other we have to find solutions that will engender a collective sense of ownership and pride that will in turn ensure a clean environment for us all.

The Dignity of the Sanitary Worker

It is all about respect. For a society to create clean public spaces the workers involved in keeping the spaces clean have to be respected. In India we very often do not do that.We use derogatory terms to refer to them. Society looks down upon them, devalues and ill-treats them. We pay them very little. We do not provide the proper equipment and do not care for their safety or well-being.The minute an outsider mentions the caste system we tend to get our tails up, but the sad truth is that the most discriminated "castes" end up doing the cleaning. We consider their work menial. Most so called middle and upper class Indians do not consider these people human at all, but will preach about human rights to the rest of the world to no end.

Things are different in other more egalitarian societies. Although, educated, well to do segments of a society may not want to do work such as garbage collecting, sweeping, cleaning toilets etc., they do not neceessarily disrepect the workers who do those jobs. At least in public they would not dare insult a sanitary worker or devalue their work. They make an effort to appreciate their work. In many of these countries poor, uneducated and immigrant groups predominate in these jobs, but they are treated with some degree of respect and paid well. For example, in many upper crust schools in the West, the janitor or custodian who is responsble for keeping the premises clean by cleaning the toilets etc., is referred to as Mr. So and So and the students are taught to respect him. In many cities around the world the garbage collector is paid very well, often times well above the minimum wage. We need to learn from these societies.

In order to create a cleaning work force that is dedicated and takes pride in their work, we need to do the following:

1. Pay adequate wages

If society values cleanliness, it should properly remunerate the workers who keep the public spaces clean. After all, they do work that is essential, but which others in society refuse to do. They should not be allowed to descend into abject poverty. If they do not feel rewarded, how could we expect them to do a good job? A recent study in Bangalore found that many sanitary workers do not have access to toilets and practice open defecation and urination. If that were the case, how could you expect them to honestly clean the public spaces, for the middle and upper classes to go for their morning jog?  These workers have to be adequately compensated so thet they can have a decent standard of living.

2. Society has to eliminate litter, dumping, spitting, public urination etc

If the majority do not clean up after themselves or add to the uncleanliness, no amount of cleaning by sanitary workers is going to be enough to keep the place clean. Society has to do its part to minimize the work of the sanitary worker. The work has to be acceptable. It boils down to respect for a fellow human being.

3. Respect the sanitary worker

The dignity of the sanitary worker has to respected and protected at all times. People should not be allowed to insult or demean them.Their work should be appreciated. Society should treat them with respect and kindness. A society's maturity and its refinement should be judged by how it treats these workers.

4. Enact protective legislation

The laws should protect these workers from exploitation. Their compensation, work loads, working conditions and safety should be protected by law. It is the mark of a cilvilized society to legally protect them.

5. Ensure their safety

The employers, be they  the local government body or private concerns, should ensure the safety of the worker.  Proper safety gear should be provided. Gloves, masks etc that meet the standards should be provided. The health and well being of these workers shoiuld be paramount. They should be protected from unruly vehicular traffic.

6. Proper equipment and training should be provided

The work force should be provided with the proper tools and skills to to their job right. Mechanisation should be implemented where feasible. Their work should be made bearable and pleasant. Sanitary work does not necessarily have to be unsanitary, if done the proper way.

If we do this right, we will create a set of workers who will be proud of what they do, feel appreciated by society and feel adequately rewarded, that they will strive to create a clean environment that will benefit us all.

So the next time you come into contact with a sanitary worker, be thankful for what they do and be appreciative. By doing so, you are contributing to the well being of this country and are being patriotic.

The Elements of a Clean Environment - Sanitation

Proper sanitation is essential for maintaining clean public spaces. Excretion of feces, urination and producing saliva and phlegm are normal human bodily functions. What is abnormal is to defecate in the open, urinate in public spaces and spit everywhere. It is a sad observation in our country that these are still practised widely. The proper disposal of human waste is indispensable.

Untreated human waste in the environment poses a serious hazard to human health and safety. It facilitates the spread of gastrointestinal diseases and provides a medium for harmful microorganisms to grow and spread. It also produces bad odours that cause disgust and revulsion.

In order to properly dispose of human waste people have to change their behaviour. Although difficult to achieve overnight, people's attitude and customs have to be modified. Extensive education and social awareness is needed. People have to stop spitting and urinating on the street. Open defecation has to be eliminated. People have to be encouraged to build toilets in their personal spaces as well as use public toilets and that too in a clean manner. People using public toilets have to learn that other people have to use them after. They should not leave the toilet dirtier than they found them.

Secondly, public toilets have to provided. These should be in sufficient number and strategically and conveniently located. They should be safe and accessible. They should be properly built and user friendly.They should be easy to maintain.

Thirdly, there should be a functioning system to maintain these facilities. There should be cleaning staff who are properly trained, paid and respected. They should be supervised and encouraged to take pride in their work. They should be adequately equipped.

Fourthly, the accumulated waste should be properly removed from household as well as public sources. Good sewerage systems have to be built and maintained. Local bodies should plan for the future and build sewerage systems that have excess capacity that is adequate for years to come, taking into account new development in the future.

Finally the sewage has to be treated properly before it is disposed of. Treated sewage water has to safely released into the environment. Brand new and posh apartments with ultra modern toilets inside cannot discharge their sewage into an adjoining open public compound or water body. This is the same as open defecation. Accumulating solid material, night soil has to be composted or safely disposed of otherwise.

If a step by step breakdown of the problem is undertaken and solutions are found and implemented the sanitation woes of the country can be solved.

The Elements of a Clean Environment - Waste Disposal

Waste is inevitable. Every individual and and society generates waste. The waste has to properly collected and disposed of. This involves proper collection, segregation, transportation and final disposal.

Waste disposal requires proper human behaviour, infrastructure and regular mechanisms.

For example, for a park to be clean, people have to seek a garbage bin and deposit their litter in it. This consciousness has to be ingrained in the psyche.  If they cannot find a bin they would wait till they find one. To simply throw it  away should be psychologically impossible. This has to be inculcated into peoples behaviour. It should become part of the culture.

Secondly, this behaviour should be encouraged and facilitated by the provision of infrastructure, which in this case would be bins located strategically and in adequate numbers with appropriate spacing. This is the responsibility of the institution managing the park, be it the government or private entity.

Thirdly, there should be a mechanism of removal. In this case the bins should be emptied at regular time intervals The timing should be dictated by the propensity of the waste to decompose as well as the volume generated. For instance if there is a lot of wet organic waste generated it should be removed before it putrefies. The bins have to emptied before they overflow. At least once daily they should be emptied.

Fourthly the garbage has to transported in a contained and hygienic manner to the final destination of disposal. If a truck is used it it should be built for that purpose.

Finally the accumulated waste should be disposed of properly. Here it means that the garbage either has to sorted, segregated, recycled and composted or disposed of in a scientifically constructed landfill. It is unacceptable to transport waste from one place and dump it in another.

If the above elements fall into place, the place becomes clean.

The Goal - A Clean Environment

The goal should be an environment that is neat and tidy with no trash that is visible. The trash should be contained and ready for the next step of disposal and not an eyesore. There should be no bad odours. The place should smell nice or neutral. It should be hygienic with no risk for transmission of disease.Visible dirt and bad smells are the first alerts for the human mind to defend against infection.They are also emotionally disturbing. Once we eliminate these two aspects, the country would be much cleaner. We should also eliminate the invisible and hidden dirt that contaminates the air, ground and water.

The current situation in many parts of India is far from ideal. It is very common to see roadsides, open spaces and water bodies strewn with garbage of all kinds. Plastic waste flies around the countryside, dispersed by the wind.  People spit everywhere. Most places smell bad. Rotting garbage, urine, decomposing fecal matter and stagnant water, all contribute to this bad smell. Water and food borne diseases that cause vomiting and diarrhoea are common. This situation has to change.

The unclean environment costs the country in many ways. Illnesses result in lost productivity and increased medical costs. It turns away tourism and the potential revenue it generates.It discourages investment. It sullies the country's reputation which in turn costs it prestige and respect on the international stage. The poor sanitary reputation that India has around the world inhibits its ability to influence world affairs to its advantage. Smaller, less important countries turn around and say that if India is unable to keep its environment clean, it has to be a weak country and its opinions do not matter.

For things to change, society has to recognise the gravity of the problem. Solutions that work have to be identified and tried. Awareness among the population has to increase. All levels of government , social organisations and NGOs have to work together. People should change behaviour. A sense of pride and ownership in public spaces has to be developed and grown.

It can be done, but needs a concerted and sustained effort by many. The time line should be about 10 years. If we start now, by the year 2022 we should be able achieve our target of a clean environment in most parts of India including Tamil Nadu, that would be the envy of the world.

Tamil Nadu, India and Cleanliness of Public Spaces- The Coming Revolution

Tamil Nadu has so much to be proud of. A civilization of antiquity that is still alive and vibrant. A fascinating history, amazing culture, unique cuisine, ancient and articulate language, fantastic temples, beautiful landscapes - it has so much to be admired. The people are cultured and proud of their country and state. Tamil pride is well known. We are also fiercely proud of being Indian.

What is puzzling is that we as a people have such profound lack of civic sense.In most parts of the world, the cleanliness of public spaces is considered an essential element of civilization. Even in India, the Indus Valley Civilization, the oldest evidence of urban civilization here, is renowned for the importance given to sanitation.

How the modern Indian nation state ended up being one of the most unclean countries in the world is indeed very surprising. Indians in general, as a civilized people, give great importance to the cleanliness of themselves and their immediate surroundings, but exhibit a callous disregard for the cleanliness of public spaces. We litter everywhere, spit everywhere, urinate against public walls and practice open defecation. We seem incapable of keeping public washrooms clean even in modern airports. This attribute is a unifying feature and is common to all Indians, the Tamilians being no exception. Tamil and Indian nationalists who spend so much time extolling the greatness of their past, pay scant attention to the unclean state of their streets and open spaces. Strangely they are quite immune to the ridicule with which the rest of the world views their country.

The reasons for this apathy is hard to fathom. Is it poverty? Tamil Nadu is one of the more prosperous states in India and poorer societies in the world have managed to maintain cleaner cities and villages. Is it lack of education? Again Tamil Nadu is one of the more literate states. It has to be cultural. The society just does not value cleanliness. It is not part of the culture. If society really desires it, it can be achieved in a democratic state as elected officials have to respond to the voters needs in the end, no matter how corrupt and dysfunctional they are. It is too easy to blame poor governance. Poor governance in a democracy reflects ineffectual and impotent citizens.

But change we must. Tamil Nadu and India have to change and change very fast. Enough being the laughing stock of the world. And change we can. There are plenty of success stories when you look hard enough. These have to nurtured, grown and spread. Individual citizens have to change their ways. Awareness has to be increased at every level. No society will ever have enough resources to police and penalize when the majority err. Change has to begin from the individual level. Education is key. Every form of media, social and traditional has to be leveraged to spread awareness.

 As individuals buy in, they in turn will convince their immediate social networks such as families, relatives, friends, neighbours, employees, colleagues, fellow workers, students, patients etc. The message will spread in concentric circles, like waves emanating from a stone dropped in water. Individuals and small groups will act as catalysts of change. As the awareness spreads the change will take hold in smaller social units such as streets, apartment complexes, residential neighbourhoods, workplaces, offices, schools, health care institutions, malls,places of worship, small villages, hamlets etc., and the concentric circles of change will merge. Larger units of change such as towns, cities and regions will follow.

As the culture changes, the percentage of the population that values clean public spaces will increase and reach a critical mass. When the critical mass is achieved society will reach a tipping point and further change will be quite rapid and dramatic.The critical mass need not be the majority, but soon after the critical mass is achieved, the majority will change. Society in general will acquire a collective consciousness about general cleanliness that will be hard to reverse. We would have crossed the Rubicon and achieved a point of no return which will transform society. Then, the minority who will not change, the isolated pockets, can be identified, prosecuted, penalized and punished.

The path to the tipping point will be hard and uphill. Dedicated individuals will have to work hard, with conviction and persistence. Once it is reached, the path becomes downhill and easy. The revolution would be complete.