People’s participation can make Mumbai a clean city

This picture has been used for representational purpose

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is looking to develop a roadmap for the next few years to solve the solid waste management (SWM) problem in the city. What is more important is that the project will factor in people's participation in a big way.

The initiative under Vision 2030 will see the corporation posting their opinions on a website link. This survey, reported this paper, will find the perceptions of people about cleaning Mumbai, a window into their ratings of various services of the SWM department like street sweeping, waste collection, maintenance of public toilets, etc. It will also seek citizens' ideas about making the city cleaner and whether they are ready to segregate dry and wet waste at their homes. The survey will fulfil a two-pronged aim, to get a perspective and ensure participation.

Citizens can stay vigilant about how to take part in this exercise when it begins. We have to be invested in our city, especially when it comes to water, waste management and other civic amenities. Participation means we have claimed a stake in Maximum City, we are pushing our civic authorities to do what works for us and actually playing a part, maybe even a marginal one but an important one, nonetheless in the administration of this city.

Currently, there is great emphasis, and rightly so, on participation by civil society in every aspect. While participation must be robust, it must also be responsible, meaningful and with correct intent - in this case, more effective waste management for a cleaner space.

Having said that, we can simply not wait for the survey and begin now by ensuring a cleaner environment in our homes and residential surroundings. Take the first small steps as a cleaner, better managed Mumbai starts with the roots.