Law and awareness only ways to keep public spaces clean
Indian festivals add to a problem every year—a massive increase in the garbage dumped on roads, not just air pollution. Appeals from civic authorities, NGOs and political leaders to celebrate Deepavali in a hygienic manner have been ignored. Firecracker residues are left on roads and in public spaces, forming an extra layer of litter over the average of 1.5 lakh metric tonnes of garbage generated daily in urban India.
This comes on top of the usual deposits of leftover food, cigarette butts, fast-food packaging, styrofoam, cans, empty bottles and other kinds of throwaway plastics; besides the signature habits of spitting and urinating in public spaces.
This is not surprising because littering public spaces seems to be an instinctive practice across India all through the year; festivals only worsen the situation. Littering is something we have found impossible to give up despite several national and regional campaigns. It is not that hygiene is alien to Indians, who are known to pay attention to personal hygiene—especially for keeping their own houses as spotless as possible.
What transforms people when they step out in public appears to be a mystery that refuses to be solved. Litter on roads is so common that it is considered normal. The ‘broken windows syndrome’ works for public spaces, wherein one notices garbage already on the road and assumes it to be perfectly normal to contribute to the heap. This is a major reason, alongside sheer laziness and carelessness, a lack of access to garbage receptacles, a challenging attitude towards the law and authorities, and, most importantly, lenient law enforcement.
The main villains encouraging littering are a lack of public conscience and an overpowering indifference. We forget that litter adversely impacts health. Litter is often burnt on vacant sites by rag-pickers, not knowing that it can release toxic chemicals causing respiratory problems.
Non-biodegradable waste clogs drain, leading to flooding. We seem to have forgotten the lessons learned from the 1994 Surat plague that claimed 56 lives, caused after garbage was regularly dumped in drains and on streets, which the municipality found difficult to clear. Are we waiting for worse? This calls for aggressive awareness programs and stringent laws involving severe penalties to deter people from littering. There is no other option.