A call for cleanliness
A call for Swachha Bharat was made by our honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 and the nation followed it. Each district, each village contributed, in different ways, by different methods. Rewari followed too and it did it, the Gandhian way, from ‘Swaraj’ to ‘Swachha Raj’ (by the village and its people).
Locals were a part of a consolidated approach towards Swachh Grameen Rewari.
The entire plan can be seen as a 3 step plan,
- Awaken (Promotion of community involvement)
- Assess (Community centric planning)
- Adopt (Evidence-based policy adoption)
Awaken (Promotion of community involvement)
Masses were mobilized through an IEC campaign. Apart from news briefings, media campaigns, various rallies, Prabhat Pheries, and school events were organized for effective participation of the citizens. Children were targeted to bring about behavioral changes at household levels. After all, which parent can refuse a child’s request to adopt good behaviour?
Assess (Community centric planning)
A team of Saksham Yuvas was created to collect data on waste generation and disposal from each house. These insights into practices of waste generation, pattern, quantity, etc were noted while devising village-level strategies, by the people.
Adopt (Evidence-based policy adoption)
People adopted the idea of segregation of waste. Supported by adequate infrastructure and committed staff, a first-level source segregation was achieved. The waste was then carried to a site where another round of segregation was carried out by sanitation workers. All reusable and recyclable products were separated. The remaining dry waste was dumped and compost was made out of wet waste.
Shramdan was organised on the second of every month. It involved community members working in unison to clean polythene from the village streets. With everyone working together, sanitation was never limited to only the sanitation workers. This not only cleaned the streets, but alleviated the sense of dignity. A dignity, of which the work of cleaning is often deprived of. The dignity of Swachhata, as envisioned by Gandhiji.
Nigrani Committees were constituted. The members were trained at district level, block level and village levels. These committees are functional in each village and play an important role in maintaining good practices at village levels.
Panchayats were made accountable for provision of all sanitation and protective equipment for sanitation workers. This became more of a priority in COVID times when “waste warriors” were felicitated by BDPOs and given protection kits including gloves, complete PPE kits, face masks, face shields, and reusable masks. Also, all waste ultimately became a source of revenue for the village, monitored by the Panchayats.
Wet waste?
Composted — sold!
Dry waste?
Recyclable — sold!
Reusable — sold!
Non-degradable plastic — Handed over to the PWD to make roads!
The journey culminated in Rewari being felicitated by the Union Jal Shakti Ministry as one of the top 20 districts in the country. The district received a shield of honour, and a certificate of Swachh Survekshan Gramin 2019 award, holding 2nd Position in the state.
