Swachh Bharat: A public health crisis is upon us; here is how to avert it

A campaign for Swachh Bharat Mission says 'put away your waste, make your city clean', but where should it be put away? A proper disposal mechanism is the only way forward, says Isher Judge Ahluwalia

Swachh Bharat Mission and AMRUT must work in sync to provide sanitation and safe water for better public health conditions.

Three years into the much-talked-about Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), very little has actually changed on the ground. Garbage remains strewn on the sides of streets, in empty plots across towns and in dumpsites, which are growing into small or not-so-small hills, on the outskirts of many cities in the country. The outbreak of diseases caused by breeding of new strains of vector-led pathogens in choked drains resulting from the combination of poor sewer systems and unscientific solid-waste management is rising