Over the decade India has been among the fastest-growing economies of the world and according to a study published in a medical journal lancet by constructing scenarios for GDP using the working age population of countries, India will be the 3rd richest country by 2050. With addition of Dholavira to the UNESCO heritage sites, India now becomes home to 40 world heritage sites. But when it comes to the environment, India ranked 168th out of 180 countries in the 2020 Environmental Performance Index (EPI). As per researchers at Yale and Columbia universities, India’s decarbonization agenda needs to accelerate; country faces several drastic environmental health risks, including poor air quality. Data analysts from Quartz India ( an international news house) say by 2025 Delhi’s air will be the world’s deadliest—killing over 30,000 in 2050. And according to data compiled in IQ Air Visual’s 2019 World Air Quality Report, Twenty-one of the world’s 30 cities with the worst air pollution are from India, with six in the top ten. In accordance with the union budget, the Indian government has spent 67058 crores over Swachh Bharat Mission so far. On daily basis, the country produces more than 1.50 lakh metric tonne (MT) of solid waste, with almost 15,000 MT of garbage remaining exposed every day; hence it has become a significant reason for rising pollution levels. As per 2017 report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) found that 30 percent of all premature deaths in India are caused due to air pollution. Indians are dying four years early due to massive air pollution India and due to effect of heavily polluted environment another report of think tank CSE says that the life expectancy in India is likely to go down by 2.6 years. The massive pollution with no control over it has become a chronic disease swiftly over time. Putting it together to be precise, India is getting buried under mounds of garbage it has been generating.
We have been learning cleanliness and personal hygiene lessons since preparatory grades but over time we somehow forget that we are the ones responsible for the cleanliness of the environment as well, we are responsible for any waste we generate and just getting rid of it from our personal surroundings won’t help. It’s due to sheer laziness or due to our irresponsibility and laxity against our environment. But since the inception of Covid 19, it has been felt important and stressed to have a neat and clean atmosphere to curtail the speed of the virus. Despite the pandemic at its peak SAAF came up with helping hands, inspiring others, and spreading awareness among people about the significance of cleanliness and the necessity of a clean environment. SAAF- Sanitation for Adequate and Accurate Foundation, a group of courageous and responsible volunteers started the extensive cleanliness drive in many areas and Narbal Budgam under the supervision of tehsildar Narbal, Block Development Officer Narbal, and Bazaar Committee Narbal started this cleanliness drive with a pledge to clean whole narbal and its surroundings to provide it with neat surroundings and immune air as well a sense of responsibility among the youth to encourage themselves for the clean and green environment for healthy and sustainable life in narbal and its surrounding areas.
SAAF was started by three people together Javaid Ahmad Najar, masters in social work and also an expert in solid waste management, Rameez Raza, currently pursuing masters in social work, Danish Ahmad Khan, who is a medical student as well social worker too. Javaid got an inspiration to start this drive while working for solid waste management back in 2018 -2020 for Srinagar Municipal Corporation. And thus his experience from the work and as well being himself an expert in solid waste management played a major role in execution of this innovative cleanliness drive. In no time the team of three was accompanied by good number of people and in very short span of 30 days, SAAF- Sanitation for Adequate and Accurate Foundation covered more than 400 households and more than 150 commercial units around locality. Numbers are still on the count, with a handful of people and their unmatchable efforts they are collecting 300kg of waste per day to the landfill site in proper segregated form. Indeed to make things happen bigger we just need to begin. Currently SAAF is focusing to cover all possible uncovered area with the help of officials of the district. Their prodigious dedication and restless hard work are winning the heart of people in bugdam district. Deputy Commissioner of Bugdam district, impressed by their initiative has said to implicate this in other affected areas of the district as well. In all likely hoods, they are doing laudable work enough to put one’s hand together.
https://www.cseindia.org
