One of the biggest sanitation problems facing our cities is that of littering of drains and roads with garbage and waste. The enormity of the problem cannot be over empahsised. In fact a large proportion of our public health problems can be traced back to this. Drains clogged with garbage leads to overflow of the drainage water, breeding of mosquitoes, and general unhygenic environment leading to various epidemics.
Apart from its obvious public health related problems, there are serious financial implications. The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) spends about Rs 1.2 Cr a month or Rs 14.4 Cr a year, on sanitation personnel. A significant proportion of the sanitation personnel are involved in cleaning drains and sweeping roads. If we could control littering and dumping of garbage on drains, it is estimated that we can easily reduce the number of staff by atleast half. This would translate into savings worth Rs 7 Cr and above every year.
How do we solve this problem? I am a strong believer in the failure of regulatory solutions to socio-economic problems. Regulatory solutions bring in a number of exogenous variables, including rent-seeking, which invariably dilutes the focus from the task at hand. Solutions which depend on incentives and dis-incentives can better achieve our objectives. Littering is clearly a social problem, arising from a lack of civic sense. We need to have market or society inclusive solutions to such social problems.
One way is to fine those littering streets and drains and get it enorced through private citizens and Resident's Welfare Associations (RWAs). The Corporation can empower citizens or RWAs to fine people littering the streets. The RWAs can even be empowered to use the fine proceeds to maintain cleanliness and take up other development activities in their area. Even private individuals can be permitted to retain the amounts so collected, as a reward for undertaking a socially valuable action. The fine amounts can be kept at a minimum. It is observed that even a minimum fine, when collected by their neighbours or fellow citizen, has a powerful symbolic value and is a strong deterrent on errant behaviour.
Critics may scoff at this and declare this a recipe for lawlessness and describe it as government shirking its responsibility. I differ. After all in the developed countries and especially in places like Singapore, there exists a tacit understanding that if I litter the road, I am likely to be reported for the same by other citizens and hence anyway fined. It is this implicit vigilance in the civil society which has played a significant role in ushering in civic sense and controlling littering. In the absence of effective reporting and compliance mechanisms, it may be better to directly empower citizens to levy and collect these fines.
Similar approach could be adopted in controlling electricity or water pilferage. By delegating enforcement and fine collection powers to RWAs, if not individuals, we can contain the thefts. It is anyway an idea worth pursuing.
No comments:
Post a Comment