Thursday, December 22, 2011

Garbage

Among many differences, one that jumps out at anyone walking in the streets is that India is simply dirty. There are no bins, and there is no garbage removal services anywhere! Occasionally (and I have seen only one in Rishikesh), there are feeding troughs for pigs. Not rubbish bins - feeding troughs.


In India, when people are finished eating chips, they chuck the plastic on the floor. Same for paper. Same for bottles. House-holds don't empty their bins in a big one to be collected - they throw the contents over their walls, into public walkways, or into abandoned plots. A space between trees on a hillside becomes a fantastic dump site (like right outside our hotel).


As a result, sewerage and garbage overflow and get washed straight into the Ganga. Instead of being a beautiful river, the Ganga is so dirty by the time it reaches the ocean, it literally resembles a sewer.


Why doesn't the government invest in garbage removal infrastructure? It would create jobs, add to the country's infrastructure, attract investment and tourism, result in a cleaner Ganga, change a quick-to-litter culture, and generally raise the standard of living in India.

Why is it that 84% of urban dwellers in South Africa have access to sanitation facilities, while India can only boast access for 54% of their population?


Maybe it is this... while South Africa suffers from a 24.9% unemployment rate, India only has a 10% unemployment rate? Does unemployment encourage government sponsored public service in developing countries?

Maybe it is that while the industrial growth rate of South Africa is only 4.9%, India experiences a 9.7% growth rate? Does high industrial growth rate shadow the need for government to care about the general public?

Source: CIA World Factbook



1 comment:

  1. You're right, they could add to employment and beautify at the same time.

    ReplyDelete