Littering mindset a challenge for Clean Green Pakistan

Islamabad : It has become a common sight on roads that people toss the litter right out of the vehicles they are travelling in, especially public transport. We have become immune to this sight and don’t do anything about it. The footpaths are littered with fruit wastes, banana peels, cigarette butts, chips wrappers, and juices packs. Now with the onset of winters, orange peels and peanut shells have joined the over increasing garbage on our side roads. This garbage belongs to the trash bin and not conveniently thrown out of the vehicles, pedestrians as well as families who visit public places and leave their food garbage there.

Time and again, awareness campaign about littering, sensible disposal of garbage are hammered through media campaigns. They are even printed on the packs and wrappers yet our people instead of looking for a dustbin nearby would go to the corner under the tree or footpath and toss the litter conveniently, shrugging off their social responsibility.

To change this mindset and bring about a behavioral change in public to achieve a sustainable and safe environment in Pakistan, the present government recently launched an app for people volunteering to make a change in the cities by initiating certain activities that can be reported online along with details and pictures. This Pakistan Clean Green Index (CGPI) is a composite index of five pillars of Clean Green Pakistan Movement i.e. safe drinking water, total sanitation, liquid waste management & hygiene, solid waste management and plantation.

The purpose of CGPI is to rank the cities based on greenery and cleanliness and providing a healthy competition among cities. The CGPI comprises of more than 35 indicators for ranking the cities. The overall sum of scores for five pillars will provide the final score of Pakistan Clean Green Index for each city. Though these activities are to be instilled in children at a grassroots level the website also provides detailed instructions for universities, colleges and schools on how to inculcate values of the programme. Awards, creation of steering committees and rankings to promote healthy competition will be organized for schools, colleges and universities.

The official website of Clean Green Pakistan indicates a positive response from people and students who are taking part in the growing effort as they are actively participating in different hygiene activities, can plant trees, can register as a champion and participate or initiate awareness sessions of cleanliness and sanitation of their respective cities.

Minimum three months data shall be required from participating cities against the proposed indicators. The ranking will be announced periodically. After six months performance of the competing cities will be assessed against set indicators. Those with prominent progress will be recognized at the provincial and federal level.

To bring the city on top of the cities ranking, an active participation of every member of the society is needed to bring the city to at par with international standards of cleanliness taking all the relevant stakeholders on board, otherwise this CGP initiative would become a challenge for us.