The success saga of Surat in Solid Waste Management (SWM) is now a part of folklore. SWM in Surat has been often feted around as an example of the best practice possible in the country. In India, it often takes a calamity to call for reforms, and Surat is an example in case: it was in fact the outbreak of plague (or so it was suspected) in 1994 that spurred the civic management into galvanizing the whole city into action that finally made it one of the cleanest in the country.

The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) got its act together soon after the bad press it received in 1994, and what followed in 1995 was a slew of administrative measures. One such measure was to sub-divide the pre-existing 6 zones in the city into 52 sub-zones and to make sanitary inspectors responsible for the cleanup operation in each one of them.

Moreover, in order to ensure that the system worked to perfection, strict enforcement and monitoring were introduced to ensure that the checks were in place all the time, and any irregularity in service was reported immediately to proper authorities. Measures such as imposing fines for littering public places were brought in. Subsequently, the SMC instituted a system of contracting to improve waste collection efficiency and maintain cleanliness in the streets. All such measures collectively contributed to making Surat a city with a high solid waste collection efficiency (more than 95%), which in fact meant that most of the garbage was collected. We will discuss in this article how the success story of Surat can be replicated in other cities as well. It is common knowledge that there is a huge scope for solid waste management in the country, but what the municipal bodies lack is the latest know-how, a technically equipped workforce, and the required funding.

A new direction

So, what is the way forward? In today’s world of economic liberalization and privatization, private-sector participation can bring fruitful solutions to many problems.

Today’s private players have better manpower, machinery, and know-how, and if municipal bodies engage them for waste management, it will be much easier for them to not only maintain cleanliness in the cities but to also plug loopholes in time, since responsibilities are distributed among various stakeholders, which makes it easier to fix accountability.

Let us see what the takeaways from the Surat success story are. Surat is not only the second largest city of Gujarat but also a centre of diamond and textile trade. It witnessed huge industrial and commercial growth after India’s independence and consequently attracted people related to these trades from all over the country, resulting in a large influx of people who subsequently made Surat their home.

Hence, it was a stupendous task for the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) to handle the problems of waste management as well as the rising infrastructure issues. The laxity of bureaucratic machinery coupled with political indifference and public apathy led to fast deterioration of the situation, and the city soon earned the epithet: the 'City of Dirt'.

A disaster was waiting to happen in Surat, and 1994 happened. Panic buttons were pressed, and SMC woke up from its long slumber. The corporation got its act together and chalked out a rigorous program to clean up the city.

Challenges and strategies

The challenges before SMC were twofold: a) Inept garbage collection resulting in huge dumps of solid waste, amounting to hundreds of tones and b) Lack of awareness among people regarding waste management and its impact on public health. SMC drew up a three-pronged strategy to take these problems head-on. i) To nearly double the target of waste removal from about 400 tonnes per day (TPD), ii) To more than double the number of waste collection bins and put them at strategic places with appropriate messages for the general public to follow wih regard to the principles of SWM, and iii) To publicize the benefits of SWM through advertisements.

It’s a success!

The results were astounding. The percentage of daily solid waste collection went up from around 30% in 1995 to nearly 95% in one year. Nearly all the streets were being cleaned every day. Public places such as markets, main roads and other such places are now being cleaned up twice daily.

With its makeover, it is now adjudged among the cleanest cities in India. And, all it took to turn the city around was a slew of administrative measures by SMC, which helped it accomplish this Herculean task. It followed a strategy wherein additional manpower was roped in, administrative machinery was overhauled to enhance monitoring, and a solid dose of privatization was injected into the system at a time when the winds of liberalization were just stirring in the country.

Administrative overhaul

Soon, the workforce was increased and many daily wage employees were inducted. Besides, cleaning machinery was upgraded, which added heft to the system. Also, the places of garbage collection were fixed at strategic locations. The city was divided into 52 sanitary wards where micro-level SWM practices were followed. A massive campaign was launched to clean up choked sewage systems and septic tanks. Group cleaning was introduced, and street sweeping and garbage collection activities were closely monitored on a regular basis. Cleaning streets twice daily was made a normal practice.

The administrative machinery remained in a state of overdrive for nearly one year, and up to 1995, all senior officers and supervisory staff worked beyond their regular hours to turn the city around in terms of cleanliness.

Punitive measures were introduced to maintain discipline, and people found guilty were not spared. Besides, sustained information of the real problem of diseases also persuaded the people to follow the rules and be supportive of the SMC work.

Finally, as far as monitoring was concerned, sanitary inspectors would report daily activities. Also, the presence of senior officers boosted the moral of the workforce. In addition, a robust dose of privatization had a solid impact on waste collection activities. SMC gave private contractors the work of garbage collection and transportation. Private players were also roped in to clean up the streets.

The man who inspired it

The turnaround of Surat is not merely the saga of a local administration shaken out of stupor after the catastrophic plague. In fact, it is the story of collective attitudinal change in its around 30 lakh citizenry, its administrative machinery, municipal workforce, and the private players.

The success story of SWM in Surat will not be complete without mentioning the efforts of the man who played a key role in all this: S. Ramchandra Rao -- a municipal commissioner with a mission. The example that he set and the machinery that he put into motion continued functioning apace even after he was transferred.

Rao started “Operation Demolition,” which targeted buildings without proper authorization. Initially, he met with stiff resistance, but soon the people came around. After winning over the people and demolishing unauthorized constructions, he dealt with garbage on the streets and targeted the sweetmeat shops and roadside eateries operating in unhygienic conditions. Media played a role by publishing pictures of the kitchens of these places full of rodents, which led to public outcry. Backed by public support, Rao took action, and the entire mess was cleaned up in no time.

Surat is the only city in the country where the municipality is compiling data from its public hospitals and even reaching out to private hospitals and practitioners to collect information. It is heartening that based on this data, SMC regularly organises clean-up and awareness campaigns in problem areas. While this was unimaginable in a place like Surat, such a practice is rare in any case.

Surat was always a rich people’s city due to its diamond and textile trade. Under Rao’s leadership, the city of diamonds got a new polish and was soon adjudged to be the second cleanest city after Chandigarh by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).

The best lesson from Surat is that while it might have been initiated and inspired by one unique individual, it was implemented and sustained over all these years and till date, by the very same organization, personnel, and public, which were always marked as callous, uncaring, and inefficient. It only goes to prove that change really comes from within and when it does, there is no stopping it.