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Kerala is a role model on many counts. The state is blessed with its topography and climate. ‘God’s Own Country’ is not just a catchphrase. To appreciate our advantages, we have to open our eyes to the miserable lives of people in less fortunate lands. If we cannot conserve our natural advantages, we do not have anyone to blame for it.
We are responsible for the prevalence of various contagious diseases and deaths caused by them. We created the polluting environment that caused the diseases. We must do some introspection before frowning upon the heaps of rubbish around us. Have we contributed to the waste dump? That thought is the starting point of civic sense. We have to cleanse our mindset first.
First lessons of cleanliness are taught at home. The habit has to be inculcated in the childhood. The parents have to show the children what to do, rather than preaching to them.
Strangely, a people who lays emphasis on personal hygiene forgets about cleanliness in public places.
We dump our waste in public places because we don’t regard those places as our own. We reap what we sow when the waste we had thrown off to the streets decays and breeds mosquitoes and germs that spread diseases.
We could get out of this cesspool only by changing our attitudes. That is not the responsibility of the government alone. Of course, the administrators have duties. At the same time, we have manners to keep.
Our house in Dallas in the United States has three waste bins to segregate food and other biodegradable waste, plastic waste and glass bottles. It is our duty to segregate waste accordingly. That has become a lifestyle. Dumping waste outside draws a hefty penalty.
Even public places have enough waste bins. No one litters the streets. There are separate bins to dump dog poop. All of them are removed safely in covered vehicles. There are effective measures for waste management. Waste is recycled as far as possible. Almost all civilized countries follow similar systems.
We can also bring about the system in our state. That calls for a change in our lifestyle. Our rulers have to pay attention to this. The government’s ‘Green Kerala’ project is hopefully a step in this direction. No one will want to litter a clean place.
Kerala has been a model for the rest of India by teaching everyone to read and write. We should launch a similar mission to battle waste. That should not be left for the government alone. Associations, institutions, families and individuals have a crucial role to play. We have to start working to save our land from being buried under heaps of rubbish. We can be a role model in this aspect as well.
