Governments across the nation mark October 2 as a day marking 'Swachhata", and ministers and political leaders take to the streets and nooks and corners in a symbolic cleanliness messaging. The same holds good in Goa. Governments around the world pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi and his principles of cleanliness and hygiene. Social media is abuzz with footage of leaders extolling the virtues of cleanliness and sanitation and appealing to the citizenry to follow in their footsteps. For states that are grappling with garbage disposal and cleanliness, the cleanliness drives are meaningless and reflect the hollowness of what is on display on October 2. After those intense photo-ops and viral videos, we return to the reality that completely stands in contrast and the promises of Swachhata swept aside.
The State continues to grapple with garbage, and opposition to garbage treatment plants remains an issue that the government is finding tough to negotiate, "not in my neighbourhood" has been the attitude of citizens across cities and villages and there are tons of waste strewn along roadsides and public spaces that is an eyesore. We have buildings letting out raw sewage in the open, people showing scant respect for the welfare of others and preferring to channel sewage through nullahs and there are very few takers to sewerage connections. Cleanliness, hygiene, sanitation and Swachhata are terms that find meaning only in discourses and speeches. Goa's streets are littered with assorted garbage, and overflowing bins, and the stench of waste fills the air of what is often described as serene Goa.
While the blame is shot at the ruling dispensation for not doing enough to tackle garbage, the role of common citizens has been ignored. People in and around Verna are up in arms against the proposed garbage treatment plant in the area, there is consistent opposition to the Bainguinim plan, Saligao is opposed to accepting garbage from Margao, and so was Cacora till the High Court intervened. The lack of urgency and action from the government may be one part, but the scant respect for hygiene and sanitation by common citizens forms the other.
The hypocrisy on Swachhata lays open on October 2 as political figures engage in the optics of cleanliness rather than implementing effective solutions. Traditionally, an illusion of progress has been created and it is a shame that a state that is being projected as a most favoured tourism destination is littered with filth and garbage.
Swachh Bharat Mission is a country-wide campaign initiated by the Government of India on October 2, 2014, to eliminate open defecation and improve solid waste management. On September 1, 2019, Goa became the first State to be declared open defecation-free (ODF) and we received much appreciation and applause from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ironically, when there was a cholera outbreak feared at Cutbona Jetty recently, it came to light that thousands of migrants were defecating in open fields and along the shores. Hundreds of workers suffered diarrhoea and the conditions at most of the jetty points were pathetic, to say the least.
Gandhi once said the future depends on what we do in the present. We can't engage in paying lip service to the ideals of the Mahatma but live with the spirit of Swachhata. There has to be a wider understanding that we are in this together, and it is not the government's responsibility alone. Yes, the government has fallen short on some counts, but we as responsible citizens too have failed in upholding the values of Gandhi. Garbage treatment and ridding Goa of waste has to be at the top of the agenda, not only on Gandhi Jayanti but every single day of the year.
