Poor Public Toilets, Poor Waste Processing: Swachh Survekshan Exposes Barak’s Sanitation Shame

Garbage has become an everyday sight in the Barak Valley. Whether it’s an alley behind a market, a residential corner, or the edge of a pond, waste piles have become permanent features in our towns. The smell is unbearable in some places, the sight — disturbing. As citizens, we often criticise the public for its lack of civic sense. We demand change, we demand action, but how often do we look into the system that is supposed to enforce cleanliness and sanitation? How well is our municipality or town committee performing? Are they taking the necessary steps to keep our surroundings clean?

There is a structured way to ensure cleanliness in any town or city. It begins with collecting the waste from each household, followed by source segregation, which ensures that different types of waste are handled correctly. Cleanliness in residential and market areas directly affects public health and perception of the town. Then comes the cleaning of water bodies and the remediation of old garbage dumps. Lastly, and most importantly, is the cleanliness of public toilets — a crucial factor in public hygiene and dignity.

To understand where our towns stand, we turn to Swachh Survekshan, an annual cleanliness survey conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India, under the Swachh Bharat Mission. It ranks cities and towns across various parameters of cleanliness and waste management. The latest data reveals how the towns of Barak Valley are performing.

Door-to-Door Collection of Waste: This refers to the collection of garbage from each household by local authorities. It is the first and most basic step in solid waste management. If this is not done regularly, waste accumulates in open spaces and streets.

• Silchar leads with 87 per cent, showing that the system is somewhat functional in the district headquarters.
• Lakhipur is at 77 per cent.
• Badarpur follows closely with the same figure.
• Lala stands at 70 per cent.
• Hailakandi shows 63 per cent.
• Karimganj (now Sribhumi) lags with only 58 per cent.
• Sonai is at the bottom with just 37 per cent.

Such a low number in Sonai indicates that more than half the households are left to manage their own waste, which inevitably results in uncollected garbage across the town.

Source Segregation: This is the process where waste is separated at the point of origin, into biodegradable, non-biodegradable, and hazardous waste. It ensures efficient recycling, processing, and reduces the burden on landfills.

• Silchar performs relatively better with 42 per cent. But the rest of the towns show abysmal figures:
• Lala and Sonai are both at 11 per cent.
• Karimganj at 12 per cent.
• Hailakandi and Lakhipur at 7 and 6 per cent, respectively.
• Badarpur stands at just 2 per cent.

Without proper segregation, waste cannot be reused or treated effectively, meaning everything ends up dumped together. This not only harms the environment but also makes waste processing more expensive and inefficient.

Waste Generation vs Processing: This category reflects how much of the waste generated is actually being processed scientifically. If a town produces 100 tonnes of waste a day but processes only 20, the rest is simply dumped.

Only Silchar shows some progress at 78 per cent. Every other town — Hailakandi, Karimganj, Lala, Lakhipur, Sonai, Badarpur — scores 0 per cent. That means none of them are processing their daily waste, which is a shocking reality. This clearly shows that no treatment plants or waste processing mechanisms are in place in these towns.

Remediation of Dumpsites: This step involves cleaning up old garbage dumping grounds to make them reusable or less harmful. It is essential to avoid long-term land and water pollution.

Again, Silchar is the only one with any activity, scoring 27 per cent. All other towns show 0 per cent. This indicates that old landfills are left untreated, contributing to soil degradation, water pollution, and serious health hazards.

Cleanliness of Residential Areas: A clean neighbourhood fosters a healthy lifestyle and prevents the spread of diseases. It also reflects how serious a town is about cleanliness at the micro level.

• Badarpur tops with 100 per cent.
• Silchar scores a high 91 per cent.
• Hailakandi is better at 83 per cent.
• Lakhipur and Sonai are at 75 per cent.
• Karimganj and Lala also report 75 per cent.

These numbers show that despite poor waste collection in some towns, residential areas are still managed, possibly by individual effort or selective cleaning by local bodies.

Cleanliness of Market Areas: Markets are public spaces with heavy footfall, and they often become hotspots of litter. Regular cleaning here is a must for sanitation and aesthetics.

• Lakhipur, Sonai, and Badarpur score a perfect 100 per cent.
• Silchar follows with 94 per cent.
• Hailakandi and Karimganj are at 83 and 75 per cent, respectively.
• Lala scores the lowest at just 33 per cent.

While the 100 per cent scores are commendable, it’s also important to ensure they are sustained and not seasonal efforts just for rankings.

Cleanliness of Water Bodies: Water bodies are essential ecological zones, and their cleanliness reflects the overall health of the environment. Dumping of garbage, immersion of idols, and drainage outflows often make these spots breeding grounds for mosquitoes and disease.

• Silchar reports 75 per cent — a good figure compared to others.
• Lakhipur scores 60 per cent.
• Sonai at 50 per cent.
• Hailakandi and Karimganj are at a poor 25 per cent.
• Lala and Badarpur are at a worrying 0 per cent.

A score of zero means complete neglect — the water bodies are likely contaminated, which affects biodiversity and public health.

Cleanliness of Public Toilets: This is perhaps the most crucial category when it comes to basic dignity, public hygiene, and urban sanitation. A lack of clean public toilets affects women the most and discourages people from using them altogether, leading to open urination or, in some cases, defecation.

Here lies the most shocking pattern — Silchar, Hailakandi, Karimganj, and Badarpur all score 0 per cent. Lala and Lakhipur show 33 per cent, Sonai is at 50 per cent, which is still low.

The fact that even major towns like Silchar and Karimganj score zero is a serious failure in urban sanitation. This not only raises questions about funding and infrastructure but also about the maintenance and supervision of such critical facilities.

State and National Rankings:

• Silchar, the most prominent city in the region, ranks 7th in Assam and 470th nationally among medium-sized cities.
• Lakhipur ranks 50th in the state and 1688th nationally among very small cities.
• Sonai does slightly better with a 24th state ranking and 1380th national ranking in the same category.
• Hailakandi city, part of Hailakandi district, holds 56th in the state and 1423rd nationally in the small cities category.
• Lala (TC) is 45th in Assam and 1644th nationally.
• Karimganj (MB) ranks 83rd in the state and 805th nationally among medium cities.
• Badarpur (TC) ranks 77th in Assam and 1840th nationally, placing it among the worst-performing towns.

Credit where credit is due, Silchar has managed to be among the 4 cities in Assam to secure a Garbage Free City (GFC) 1 Star Rating. Silchar has also managed an ODF+ (Open Defecation Free) status, along with Sonai and Lakhipur Town Committees.

This data from Swachh Survekshan is not just about numbers — it’s a reflection of where we stand as a society and how our governing bodies are functioning. While Silchar appears to be leading the region, it even fails miserably in areas like public toilet maintenance and dumpsite remediation. Most towns in the Barak Valley show zero waste processing, almost no effort in dumpsite clean-up, and minimal source segregation. This points towards a lack of sustainable systems and planning.

If we, as citizens, want cleaner towns, we must demand more from our municipalities and town committees. It’s not just about having a clean road for one day, but about developing systems that work every day. Authorities need to build infrastructure, employ enough sanitation workers, educate people about segregation, and most importantly, maintain public facilities.

Barak Valley deserves better, and this report card should be considered a wake-up call.

Source: Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 (MoHUA)