Swachh Survekshan 2021: ‘Thoda Bohot Hai’ Campaign Asks People To ‘Reduce’ And Help Planet Breathe

New Delhi: Ahead of Swachh Survekshan 2021, the annual cleanliness survey of urban India, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has launched a campaign called ‘Thoda Bohot Hai’ (little is enough) to promote one of the 3Rs – reduce. The campaign being implemented by the Quality Council of India (QCI) delivers the message that lesser consumption of resources is quite sufficient for the planet to breathe better and easier. As per the information shared by QCI, the aim of the campaign is to first encourage people to reduce their consumption and then move towards reusing and recycling.

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The social media campaign calls people to take ownership of their waste by way of reducing it and ensure their surroundings and city is clean and green. Talking about the campaign, an official from the MoHUA said,

The amount of waste we generate is closely linked to our excessive consumption. With just a minimal change in our everyday lifestyle, we can bring about a major change in the environment and our immediate surroundings. Keeping this in mind, the #ThodaBohotHai campaign encourages citizens to bring about a behavioural change and adopt habits that promote sustainability.

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The campaign has garnered support from celebrities, environmentalists and locals. Actor, Producer and UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador Dia Mirza shared a video backing the campaign. In a video shared on social media, Ms Mirza talks about how she has stopped using air conditioning in her personal space and has switched to a bamboo toothbrush and eco-friendly sanitary napkins. Ms Mirza also shared how she educates children about their plastic consumption and the alternatives available. Sharing an anecdote, Ms Mirza said

Having to reduce your consumption of plastic would mean to be able to see the plastic. One of the things I do with children in the workshop – I make them see plastic. I ask them what is the first item of plastic you use everyday? The first answer is a toothbrush.

Ms Mirza went on to say that an individual usually starts to use a toothbrush at the age of 1.5 to 2 years and continues to use it till the age of 80. She added,

On an average, a human being uses six toothbrushes in a year. Multiply that with the average lifespan and then we total the number with the strength of the class. At that moment, what children realise is how just one item of plastic and the quantity of that is being produced, wasted and discarded to the environment.

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Ms Mirza added that then the students were alarmed to learn the next bit of information that a plastic toothbrush will be in the environment for 700 years and even after that, microplastics will continue to exist. At that moment she urged her viewers to seize every opportunity to reduce plastic.

As human beings, it is very important for us to understand that our health and well-being are connected to the health and well-being of the environment. And if we really want to restore the health of the planet in order to restore our health, each one of us will have to learn to consume less and waste less, said Ms Mirza.

Watch Dia Mirza Talking About Reducing Consumption

Vani Murthy, a member of Solid Waste Management Round Table too came forward to educate people about the concept of ‘reduce’ and promote ‘thoda bohot hai’. In a video message, Ms Murthy said the first part to waste management is ‘reduce’ as that reduces the waste load on landfills and the planet. Talking about how she is reducing her waste, Ms Murthy said,

I make my own cleaners; be it laundry wash, dish wash, cleaning toilets or platform. Everything is made at home like bio enzymes, going back to soap nuts and Shikakai (a shrub). Reduction of chemicals, reducing things that hurt the planet is extremely important.

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Ghaziabad Municipal Commissioner, Mahendra Singh Tanwar, also shared a short video on Twitter showing his reusable water bottle. Mr Tanwar asked people to shun the use of single-use plastic bottles and save the environment.

An athlete and a fitness enthusiast, Ripu Daman Bevli, who started plogging – picking waste while jogging – in 2017 asked people to take ‘plastic upvas’ pledge and give up one single-use plastic item.

Also Read: Expert Blog: Exercise Plastic ‘Upvaas’ In The COVID World

Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, shared the story of cleanliness activist Temsutula Imsong who has been practising composting for five years now. Ms Imsong says that nothing is kitchen waste and added,

Not even a gram of unused vegetable part goes out of my house as I use it to make compost. I must have stopped more than 1,800 kilos of garbage from becoming a nuisance for the environment.

Ms Imsong asked people to pledge to take care of 1 metre of space around them wherever they go.

Also Read: Be A Responsible Citizen And Learn The Art Of Composting: Durga Shanker Mishra

Social media users too joined the campaign and showed how they are reducing their consumption and waste generation. A Twitter user shared a video of his daughter avoiding wasting water at home, restaurants, and other places. Chahak Tibrewal urged people to fill the glass with as much water as needed and not wasting even a drop by taking extra.

Another user shared one of the easiest ways to save water that is repurposing the water discharged from RO water purifier. Sharing the pictures of his washing machine getting filled with waste water, a user wrote, “I save about 25 liters of water per day, 750 liters per month and 9000 liters per year. Everyone can do it. It is easy and effortless. 9,000 liter paani #ThodaBohotHai nahi hai, bahot sara hai. (9,000 litres of water is not less, it is more than enough).”

Also Read: A 72-Year-Old From Madurai Has A Solution To Tide Over The Crisis Of Clean Water

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.