New Delhi: You cannot win elections in this country if you promise to fix the broken and dilapidated sewage system. Votes are obtained on the basis of caste, religion, government promises and slogans of electricity, roads and water. People in our country struggle with the problem of sewage every day, then why is this not an election issue? Dirt has become a threat to the economic prosperity of the country. No rich country is facing serious sewage problem, mostly third world countries have this problem. Every rich country has a third world and every third world country has its rich areas. This is a problem, on the way to making sewage a significant issue. Rich and middle class people think this is not our problem. The poor think that they just need a job or some government help every month. The reality is that no one can see the smell of sewage. he/she makes everyone sick. The statistics of smelling sewage are warning us.
According to Anurag Chaturvedi’s paper published in Stanford Social Innovation Review, 90% of India’s sewage is untreated, which is being discharged into ponds, lakes and rivers. This causes everything from diarrhea to environmental pollution. The sewage systems of most of the big cities of the country do not function properly. Most small towns yearn for a good sewage system. Rural India? Don’t even think about that.
According to Anurag Chaturvedi’s paper published in Stanford Social Innovation Review, 90% of India’s sewage is untreated, which is being discharged into ponds, lakes and rivers. This causes everything from diarrhea to environmental pollution. The sewage systems of most of the big cities of the country do not function properly. Most small towns yearn for a good sewage system. Rural India? Don’t even think about that.
Who will become sewage man or woman?
Building toilets is a good thing, but they are only a part of cleanliness. Garbage disposal is important. In this matter, the world’s fifth largest economy i.e. India is no better than many economically backward countries. Real change comes when a problem becomes a political issue. Whoever creates an issue may become a laughing stock. he/she will have to walk alone. We will have to talk directly to the people of the country. Is there such a person? Such a person would have to be like Metroman E Sreedharan. Only the one who has good political understanding and charismatic personality can be the sewage man/woman of India. It is difficult to clean up the mess for the sake of 1.4 billion people, but if it happens, the change will be historic.
