When we see unclean public spaces in India the immediate explanation seems to be the widespread poverty and the fact that we are a poor developing country. It is true that wealthy countries in general are able to maintain clean public spaces. Is there a connection between clean public spaces and prosperity?
Maintaining clean public spaces requires money. The infrastructure to collect refuse and the mechanisms to dispose of them need an initial outlay of funds and ongoing maintenance funds. Garbage bins have to be bought and installed. Sanitary workers have to be paid wages.There are transportation costs. Landfills, garbage processing plants, recycling plants, waste to energy facilities etc. have to built and and maintained. Public toilets have to be built and serviced. All this costs money. The funds usually come out of public agencies who depend on tax revenues. There is always a shortage of money in public administrative structures. This is true in any part of the world, but more so in democracies.
India is a developing country with a large and diverse population. With recent economic progress it is becoming a middle income country with larger reserves of public money with more robust tax revenues. Although it still does not have the kind of money that more developed countries have, it can afford to spend more money on public services now, than it could, say a decade ago. It is often noted that countries that are at a similar level of development as India seem to be cleaner.
Now, poverty is endemic in India. Rural as well as urban poverty is widespread. The many impoverished villages and plethora of urban slums that dot our country stand testament to this fact. The vast majority of India's population still makes do with very meagre resources despite the country's rapid economic progress. The media, especially of the Western kind, seems to take great pleasure in highlighting this fact from time to time. Moreover India seems to lag behind in every Human Development Index measure evaluated by the United Nations.
It is indeed difficult to make poor people pay attention to cleanliness of public spaces, when their thoughts and activities are centred around survival. When theirs is a daily struggle for survival, the aesthetics of public spaces is far removed from their list of priorities. They fail to take ownership of public spaces because they own so little of their own.
To create clean public spaces in India, we need to spend more money to build and maintain the infrastructure and to put in place regular mechanisms for cleaning. The funds are there and need to be utilized. They also have to be used wisely. Fiscal responsibility and accountability is part and parcel of good governance. Clean public spaces are a reflection good governance.There are many barriers to good fiscal governance in India.
Bureaucratic apathy, ineptitude, corruption, political interference, nepotism and populism are rife in India's governance. It is indeed a difficult place to govern. These have to be overcome.
Also, poor people need not be unclean. There are many communities around the world and in India itself which are poor yet clean. At least part of the reason for unclean public spaces in India is cultural and not economic alone.
If we can get our public spaces cleaned up, there are definite economic benefits. Tourism and new investments will flow in. This will bring in money into the community and new employment. A proud and confident population will be happier and more productive. Clean public spaces will lead to less disease and a healthier population. It will decrease absenteeism and premature death. These will bring economic stability to families and the country. Preventing spitting in public places might bring down the incidence of TB, which does take a toll on our population
Local governments have to use public money efficiently to improve the collection and disposal waste. Well thought out plans and stringent rules in implementing them will prevent wasting scarce resources on frivolous schemes that are not practical. Private public partnerships ( PPPs) can be used to mobilize much needed funds. Corruption and political interference have to be eradicated. Private entities can manage the collection and disposal of waste, if they have good government oversight. This will ensure that these systems are efficient and effective.
Workers involved in the collection, transport and disposal of waste have to be paid well and given due respect. Their work has to valued by society and the stigma around these jobs has to be removed. Their vocations have to be made economically viable for them and their families. Their incomes should reflect the value society places on clean public spaces.
If we get this balance right, we will create a prosperous and clean country that will be the envy of the world. India would have come full circle to reassert its pride as one the greatest civilizations to evolve on earth. It would regain its place in the comity of nations with a splendour never seen before in its glorious history.
