Cleanliness: work in progress?

Work in progress, or work halted, marks the provincial governance’s ambitious task towards Saaf Suthro Sindh (Neat and clean Sindh) campaign launched in 2017, and little has been achieved even after more than three years. Most of the goals remain far short of target. The plan has targeted that in 13 rural districts of the province most houses would get proper toilets and sanitation systems and open defecation in the entire province would be eliminated by 2025. The slow progress of the plan is evident from the fact that 70% of the targets set to be achieved by 2020 remain as far away as a nebulous object. The sanitation policy document aimed at getting rid of open defecation, providing an underground sewerage system and putting in place an efficient mechanism for disposal of toilet waste, etc.

The project director or Saaf Suthro Sindh claims that the Public Engineering department, which is tasked with carrying out this spree, was about to declare around 2,400 villages ‘open-defecation free’ but this cannot be done as the donor, the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), has withdrawn the grant due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now the relevant department has asked the provincial government to provide funds for this spree.

The government doesn’t build toilets or other sanitation facilities; it only mobilises the community to construct them by convincing people of the need for adopting hygienic methods and habits. Some non-governmental organisations are also providing a helping hand to the government in realising the goals of a neat and clean Sindh. They are also willing to provide technical assistance in this regard. Government officials insist they will achieve all targets in time. Official claims notwithstanding, the fact remains that our politicians and government functionaries are fluent in presenting their case but they are not articulate. Long on promise, short on delivery.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30^th, 2020.

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