As the Swachh Bharat Mission completes five years tomorrow, it is vital to recall how sustainability and environmental consciousness have been at the heart of several policy interventions of the Government

Say they’re smug and superior. Say their approach to public policy makes you want to tear your hair out. ……But don’t call them worthless. At least, don’t do it in front of me. The people that I have met have been extraordinarily qualified. Their intent is good. Their commitment is true. They are righteous, and they are patriots. And I’m their lawyer,” says the Republican Ainsley Hayes in the popular TV show The West Wing. Ainsley’s words could come as a wake-up call to many who dismiss the Government and its leaders as “worthless” and often choose to undermine the work accomplished as they run after mirage-like champions of causes. Therefore, it is important to set the record straight. Over the last few weeks, so much has been said about climate change, the environment and sustainability, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York. On October 2, the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) completes five years. Therefore, it is important to recall how sustainability and environmental consciousness have been at the heart of several policy intervention.

It is also important to highlight that themes like cleanliness, toilet construction, sanitation, environmental impact of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders and solar energy have emerged at a global stage consistently over the last five years, which is unprecedented. Therefore, it would be prudent to discuss three major reforms of Swachhta, Ujjwala and Saur Urja (solar energy) in this context.

When we talk about SBM, it is important to note how the mission has evolved from a sanitation, open-defecation free (ODF) behavioural mass movement and urban waste-segregation initiative to freeing the country from single-use plastic. From Microsoft founder Bill Gates to Sulabh International founder Bindeshwar Pathak, the far-reaching impact of the SBM has been assessed through different parameters, both tangible and intangible. Pathak has rightly said that it took Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s courage and steady focus to bring an “unpalatable” yet fundamental subject like toilet construction to the fore and make it a people-centric movement.

Some facts with regards to SBM might be known to us — the increase of rural sanitation coverage from 38 per cent in 2014 to 99 per cent in 2019, construction of 110 million toilets and 30 States and Union Territories becoming Open Defecation Free (ODF). Recent studies by UNICEF and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, have also ascertained the effect of the SBM on the environment and in terms of money spent on information, education and communication (IEC) activities. The studies concluded that achieving the goal of ODF villages has positively affected the quality of groundwater by reducing contamination. The study found that non-ODF villages were “11.25 times more likely to have their groundwater sources contaminated (12.7 times more from contaminants traceable to humans alone).”

The findings of the Gates Foundation study are particularly interesting in the backdrop of the criticism received on the expenditure on IEC-related activities. It says, “An average person living in rural India was exposed to between 2,500-3,300 SBM-related messages over the last five years.” While the targeted communication through IEC interventions is a tangible outcome, Modi’s consistent mention of the theme in his Mann Ki Baat radio programme has also catalysed the necessary behavioural change. Yet, Modi, does not choose to stop at this point and gave a clarion call to make India free of single-use plastic.

It’s well known that environmental degradation has a disproportionate impact on the poor and lack of access to resources is responsible for depletion, which further perpetuates poverty. The fact is that this renewed understanding has become an integral aspect of India’s new development paradigm.

Let’s consider indoor air pollution, which is known to cause asthma or bronchitis. Several estimates suggest that the cost of asthma treatment per year for 2015 was Rs 139.45 billion. Part of this cost is on the Government, while the rest comes from out-of-pocket expenditure on healthcare. The Government launched the Ujjwala Yojana and has already distributed over eight crore LPG cylinders to facilitate a switch from burning firewood in rural areas. Doing so has already started to show a considerable impact in reducing indoor air pollution, which will further reduce the incidences of lung-related disorders, eventually saving money for both the Government and the poor. There’s recognition of the linkages between the environment and its consequences on health outcomes, be it access to clean fuel or improved sanitation. The social benefits of these programmes are not just limited to environment preservation, as they will yield rich dividends in terms of improved healthcare outcomes which will only reduce the burden of disease.

India’s pollution woes are not just limited to indoor air. Several of our major cities suffer from poor air quality, while our rivers too, have witnessed a steady increase in pollutants over the last couple of decades. The fact that these changes can be catastrophic is well known and perhaps that explains one of the world’s most ambitious renewable energy initiatives.

The International Solar Alliance, aimed at reducing India’s global carbon footprint, was launched by New Delhi in 2015. It has been joined by 121 countries, which shows the extent of the impact that India has had in shaping the global environmental conservation discourse. India’s target for solar generation is an ambitious 450 gigawatt (GW) and the country is now making rapid strides towards achieving the target of 175 GW by 2022.

It is equally important to recognise India’s push towards electric vehicles (EVs) to further reduce its carbon footprint. Be it through tax incentives for electric cars or the push for electric buses, there’s a concentrated effort by the Government to create a robust infrastructure that facilitates a smooth transition to a cleaner technology.

Though reducing our carbon footprint will help address the problem of climate change that affects the entire planet, moving towards EVs and reducing India’s reliance on coal-based power plants are critical towards reducing air pollution in some of our major cities.

There are long-term benefits from all such interventions and these benefits are not just limited to India and its citizens, but they are global. While we may have several environmental activists, who find it convenient to consider development as a direct conflict with environmentalism, India has managed to balance the two and carve out a practical model of sustainable development.

(Bhasin is a New Delhi-based public policy researcher and Chauthaiwale is a digital communication and policy professional)