Cleanliness has always been a target in India as compared to Other countries. Ever when any NRI or Foreigner arrives in India, they always make a visual comment on it and also when we travel abroad we always appreciate other country's road, safety, health and discipline compared to India. Hence to eradicate this thought this campaign has been initiated. But where do we start?
A home, a cosy place to live; be it your own or rental, a place where we all stay most of our life, it brings security & luxury; to express yourself and when stayed with our loved ones; creates togetherness.We say "house turns to home when there is love and warmth" but along with that when thought practically we need to include "sanitation & hygiene" too for better health & better life. Why not start from home!!!
For me, cleanliness is a must. Before writing this post, I made sure I have cleaned my home and then sat to write. It creates a sense of relief , peace & in this case, encourages me to write :). I would like to address the 2 important area where we need to fit cleanliness. I believe if you act on it, it in-turn can influence 40-50% Clean India
- Toliet & Bathroom
- Dustbin
Tolilet & Bathroom:
Before addressing cleanliness, there are many houses without toilet/Bathroom. Shocked!! Yes,when we search for a house for rent or sale, people search for western commode or Indian; but consider if there are houses for rent/sale without toilets, will you stay!!
- People in such houses go to open fields to urinate or shit.
- This creates diseases as flies which sit in these shit sit in the food they eat.
- This also creates embarrassing situation especially to women who have to urinate & shit in-front of other people.
- And in some parts as open fields are getting exhausted, there are people to collect shits who are treated as untouchables.
- What happens when ladies are menstruating!!
- Bathing in river or pond can be even more embarrasing, pollutes water with your body dirt & if it is the same pond which is used to drink; you can imagine water diseases which invade!!!
Even when we have toilet, few of our men want to urinate in Public. This is so common in roads where there is open drainage. Why does this happen??
- This is because when we were young, like 4-6 years, we were taught that if by any case toilets are busy or not available, you can urinate in open drainage or fields where nobody is seen and if the same habit is carried, the same practice will continue with our young generation.
Even when there is toilet and bathroom available in houses, Few kids urinate/shit/bath in Public. Considered Why??
- The reason being room not clean. Fungus or stinking odor causes people not to use toilet or bathrooms.
Solution: Have Toilet/Bathrooms & Clean them regularly
- Build Toilet & Bathroom
- Practice each and every one to use it
- Say No to Urinate or Bathing in Public
- Clean the rooms at-least once a week
- Use some toilet freshener
Encourage to
- Build Toilets in homes and Public.
- Keep Clean Public Toilets.
- Give free Cleaning agents & toilet fresheners to people who can't afford
- Use Toilets & Bathroom.
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Dustbin hear represents the waste, be it liquid or solid. Waste gets accumulated everyday; be it from cooking, washing or cleaning. But what do you do about the waste?
- Throwing outside to others compound?
- Wrapping in a plastic bag and throw it in a open drainage?
- "I don't have dustbin, I just throw all my waste in near by open field. It will get decompose" attitude
- Feed it to animals which includes Plastic and other dangerous waste.
- water wastage drain to open pond creating stagnant water
- If waste is not treated well, you can invade cockroach, rats, bed bugs and flies!
- What about hair fallen when you comb!!
- When we get down from a bus, where do you throw your bus ticket?
- Eating Banana/Potato Chips when we travel is good but what do you do about the waste covers?
- Spitting Pan or Sticking Chew Gums is a habit?
- The discipline which is taught at home encourages the way we treat it in the future and also our act outside. Hence the correct approach should start from a home.
It is not only a family responsibility which can nullify when society is considered, but of all the neighbors. For example, if there is anything which is stinking, lying in the road, people ignore and go about on their own way. Specific action should be initiated by everyone in that society as anything under Public environment is the responsibility of each one of us.
One more discrepancy is heard about nowadays, on the cleaners who come to clean this waste. Be it's the cleaners, who come to collect your daily dustbins or the road sweepers, yes, they are meant to carry out their job but that doesn't mean they should be treated badly!!.
Also Government is not encouraging them. No safety measures are given to them like proper gloves, boots, clothes nor is there any stable salary. Hence they seek with us, the public, for some tips ( money), resulting difference.
Funny, but real, cleaners consider those of who give tips as favorable.
Also I see in many outskirts of the city, dump of waste accumulated for treatment. This can result in dangerous diseases affecting public even if they have followed all sorts of cleanliness procedure.
- Have a dustbin @ home to collect the waste
- Utilize it regularly & encourage others to do it
- For Liquid waste, proper connectivity from home to drainage should be arranged
- Seek help from government & other sector which work on this
- Plastic can be dangerous to animals, Please avoid throwing them.
- Government also should look on to the sanity of the waste accumulated
There is a great deal of Government support needed in this case not only in cities but in small towns and villages.
- Sewage treatment
- Drainage blockages
- Waste disposal procedure
- Cleaners wages and safety
- Helpline facility
- Public awareness program
- Public disposal facility
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During the Swachh talk I have put a stress on the 2 topics which affects cleanliness. But there are more, all which conveys --> how we have disciplined at home, how we act towards daily routine and also how we mimic our elders. Many of us can avoid this mistake by regulating @ our home. But there are people who don't have homes, who don't have anyone to guide. For those, we are the ones to guide them.
Finally at Home we can control few of our actions and can also rewind.It may not be a big headache. But the same if effected India, rewinding something done can be devastating or impossible.
So Better think twice!!
This Blog is written as a part of a contest held by Indiblogger & Dettol India collaborates with NDTV to make an awareness of how sanitation and hygiene play a role in our daily routine life @ home which in turn affects our beautiful land, India
You can get more details on it http://swachhindia.ndtv.com/
Lets put our hand together for #SwachhIndia
-Prathi
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