Urban India has witnessed dramatic changes in the past few decades. With increasing population, there has been tremendous pressure on the resources, public utility services and infrastructure of Indian cities. The reality is that most of our urban centres are unable to cope with the fast-paced impact of growing urbanization.

The biggest challenge facing the world today is how man can live comfortably without causing further harm to the environment and the earth’s natural resources. We may go on producing bumper agricultural produces but if it is at the cost of depleting our land resources, this is not sustainable development. Our ever-growing population, with its ever-increasing needs, is the prime culprit for the present condition of the environment. This is a bitter reality that we have realized only recently. If we carry on like this then our future is bound to be very bleak.

We can rebuild or shape our future by choosing the right policies, correct alternatives and developing a proper institutional mechanism. It is also important that we bring about a sense of collective responsibility in the mindsets of the people. The best way is to make future generations realize the need for environmental conservation.

One can never reap the benefits of environment conservation until the masses are involved in the process and, most importantly, common citizens should understand their role in bringing about a change.

Development Alternatives embarked upon the CLEAN-India programme in 1996 with a vision of making our cities and towns a better place to live in. This nation-wide programme incorporates an integrated approach aimed at environmental improvement action through community mobilization and brings forward school students (the future citizens) who serve as the catalysts for change. Starting from individual households to communities, villages and towns, these volunteers translate their anxieties and concerns into working towards a cleaner environment.

The CLEAN–India programme creates a sense of responsibility in every individual. The approach adopted by the programme is to provide opportunities to students and communities so as to understand and learn more about the quality of the environment and then use their findings to create or demand solutions. The role of children is to trigger the process by acting as catalysts. These youngsters are, joined by the elders in implementing the scheme.

In the past five years, the agenda has moved from being a school education programme to a community movement where the students have triggered a change in the mindsets of elders and the elders have taken the initiative to not only demand for a change but also be a source for bringing a transformation in their surroundings.

Many of the environment improvement actions carried out across various CLEAN-India centres have been made possible due to the efforts of communities where residents have joined hands to set up water harvesting systems and waste management structures. They have not only contributed through monetary means but their personal time and efforts are of huge value. Communities have adopted parks, planted trees and taken on the task of protecting the saplings. The ecology is slightly better off as a result of these endeavours.

What has been more satisfying is the role played by women to carry forward initiatives at their own level. Numerous self help groups have been formed where the women folk have learnt various skills aimed at income generation through activities such as city farming, selling vermi-compost, making candles, incense sticks, etc. This has helped the rural women in begetting a source of livelihood and they are closer to realising their dreams of better living as also contributing towards environment protection.

Another significant aspect of the Clean-India campaign has been the formation of Parents’ Eco Clubs in schools. This enterprise involves active participation of the parents in school activities and helps in forming a large alliance to creating wider-scale impacts on an even bigger level. Schools’ and parents’ Eco Clubs have campaigned for spreading awareness on celebrating eco-friendly Holi using natural colours, and working towards eco-visarjans and anti cracker campaigns.

The CLEAN-India programme is unique in involving students as agents of bringing about a change in the mindsets of the people. One can never doubt the commitment and enthusiasm of the young brigade. They respond enthusiastically to environmental and social causes and cannot be corrupted once they are empowered with scientifically generated environmental assessment data.

This programme has mobilized a huge brigade of youth empowered with scientific knowledge, awareness and information to make a difference in their surroundings. The task of taking communities along was a challenge and the programme has been successful in connecting with various groups, utilise their knowledge bases and developing skills for fulfilling this mission.

The work carried out as part of the Clean-India programme is just a beginning. The bigger challenge is now to translate small experiments onto bigger actions, and bringing forward various stakeholders onto one common platform where united efforts lead to eco-development of our towns and cities. The momentum built up in the past five years has to be sustained. Only then will our cities be cleaner and greener and a better place to live in.q