Image this: a bunch of decided rural ladies, adorned of their vibrant sarees and gloves, are driving tricycles within the hilly terrain of Odisha, full of hope and duty.
Proudly referred to as Swachhta Sathis, their mission begins on the doorsteps of houses and retailers, the place they’ve instilled a brand new behavior of neatly sorting waste on the supply. By door-to-door interactions and vigorous village conferences, these ladies have been educating their communities in regards to the detrimental results of single-use plastics.
The journey doesn’t finish at assortment. The waste travels to native segregation sheds, the place their expert fingers and meticulous work processes separate helpful recyclables from non-recyclable supplies.
Excessive-value plastics reminiscent of PET bottles discover new life within the fingers of registered recyclers, reworking into new plastic merchandise that after once more flow into by means of their on a regular basis lives. In the meantime, low-value plastics like multi-layered plastics (MLP) are channeled to serve in highway building and as various fuels in cement kilns.
This initiative has not solely processed over 275 metric tonnes of plastic waste however has additionally solid significant livelihoods for round 470 rural ladies. The income generated on this course of is used for the operation and upkeep of this initiative, whereas additionally guaranteeing a round economic system by lowering landfill waste.
Behind this self-sustaining waste administration strategy is Manoj Satyawan Mahajan, a 2019 batch IAS officer and collector and district Justice of the Peace of Sundargarh.
What the IAS officer noticed and why he determined to behave
In 2019, Manoj recollects, the primary section of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) got here to a detailed, paving the way in which for Section 2, which rolled out in 2021-22. Because the mission developed, so did the strategy—underneath new state pointers, villages had been inspired to collaborate extra carefully with close by cities.
By the City Rural Convergence (URC) mannequin, rural waste was now being transported to City Native Our bodies (ULBs), bridging the hole between rural and concrete sanitation efforts.
“Nevertheless, in Sundargarh, the 4 ULBs had been inadequate to handle waste from the huge rural areas,” he says.
To deal with this, a rural strong waste administration initiative was carried out. With UNICEF as their technical associate, the district offered technical help for executing the “Aama Sundargarh Swachh Sundargarh” initiative.
“At the moment, no particular initiative for rural waste administration had been carried out on a district-wide scale in Odisha,” the collector factors out.
“More often than not throughout my area visits, I observed open dumping of waste alongside roadsides, waste floating in water our bodies, and folks resorting to burning waste to clear it. Throughout interactions with the neighborhood, I learnt that that they had no correct waste administration system and didn’t know what else to do with the waste. This expertise made me realise the pressing want for a structured waste administration system in rural areas,” says Manoj.
The thought for Aama Sundargarh Swachh Sundargarh first took form in 2021. By early 2023, he says, the initiative was totally up and operating, bringing a recent, community-driven strategy to rural waste administration.
At its coronary heart, the initiative aimed to sort out open dumping and protect the visible cleanliness of villages, whereas additionally creating significant alternatives for ladies’s self-help teams by involving them in waste assortment and processing.
The bigger aim was to construct a waste administration mannequin that rural communities might personal and maintain over time. “We additionally wished to ascertain a benchmark that demonstrates the aptitude of rural settlements to handle waste supplies effectively and independently,” provides the IAS officer.
“In the meantime, we confronted challenges in waste assortment on account of scattered villages and tough hilly terrain and roads. To enhance effectivity, we launched customised battery-operated autos for waste assortment, making their work simpler and simpler,” he provides.
Ladies on the forefront
From supply to answer, all the initiative has been powered by rural ladies. After receiving hands-on technical coaching—starting from supply segregation and waste assortment to superior sorting methods and working machines like balers, shredders, and air blowers, these ladies have taken the lead. Immediately, they handle the Materials Restoration Facility (MRF) in Kuarmunda, together with a number of different decentralised assortment centres, proving that with the proper help, native ladies can drive sustainable change on the bottom.
Apparently, the district has managed over 360 metric tonnes of plastic waste and generated Rs 17 lakhs in income. “Due to this, greater than 470 ladies have been actively engaged on this work, incomes a mean of Rs 6,500-7,500 monthly,” says the district collector.
One such Swachha Sathi, Monika Minz from Kacharu Gram Panchayat, shares her expertise: “In 2021, I acquired coaching the place we discovered in regards to the dangerous results of unsegregated waste on animals. When cows and goats devour such waste, it disrupts their digestion and may result in their dying. To fight this, we segregate the waste.”
“Day-after-day, I begin my rounds at round 7 within the morning. I accumulate waste objects reminiscent of sneakers, slippers, glass bottles, plastic bottles, polythene, electrical boards, and wires, amongst different issues. After accumulating the waste, we ship it to the segregation centre the place it’s processed and recycled. I’ve even carried out these practices in my house,” she additional explains.
Earlier than this, the 50-year-old labored as a labourer in home building. “I favor my present job as a result of it permits me to work from 7 to 10 within the morning and offers me the liberty to handle the remainder of my day as I want. I earn Rs 6,725 monthly, which is greater than I earned beforehand. This revenue has vastly helped me pay my youngsters’s faculty charges on time and handle family bills. I take satisfaction on this work, because the neighborhood calls me ‘Swachata Didi,’ and I really feel it’s a type of service,” she provides.
The IAS officer shares that the whole funding within the venture stood at round ₹14 crore, protecting infrastructure growth, HR help, and total venture administration. By 2024, the initiative had grown considerably, reaching over 1,682 villages and impacting 3.6 lakh households, which accounts for practically 70% of Sundargarh district’s rural inhabitants.
For Manoj, this initiative holds a particular place. It’s not nearly managing waste extra successfully in rural areas—it’s about creating significant change. “This initiative is especially near my coronary heart and deeply fulfilling,” he says, because it brings collectively environmental impression, financial upliftment, and social empowerment, particularly by means of the livelihood alternatives it creates for ladies’s teams.
Throughout a go to to Kuarmunda, a tribal girl conveyed her honest gratitude, highlighting the constructive impression of the initiative. “This girl now earns a steady revenue of Rs 6,800 monthly, which has vastly enhanced her household’s monetary stability and helps her three youngsters. As soon as a housewife with no dependable revenue, she now works with dignity, guaranteeing a greater future for her three youngsters,” shares the IAS officer.
“This initiative has fully modified the way in which folks see cleanliness in villages. With the energetic involvement of Swachha Sathis, the neighborhood house is now clear, wholesome, and extra conscious than ever earlier than. Subsequent 12 months, we anticipate over 700 Swacchta Sathis to affix our initiative,” he provides.
Edited by Leila Badyari; All photographs courtesy Manoj Mahajan IAS
