Cleanliness cannot be achieved through awareness campaigns alone. It requires strict enforcement, public accountability, responsible citizenship, and the effective implementation of existing laws. For years, we have organised cleanliness drives, conducted awareness campaigns, and appealed to people to keep their surroundings clean. Yet, garbage continues to be dumped on roads, in drains, streams, rivers, lakes, and other public places.
This raises a fundamental question: If awareness alone were enough, why does irresponsible waste disposal continue despite years of campaigns and public appeals?
As a social activist working for the protection of water bodies, I firmly believe that the time has come to move beyond slogans, promises, and temporary cleanliness drives. We need a practical and sustainable system that discourages littering, holds offenders accountable, strengthens waste management, and ensures that environmental laws are enforced consistently.
Without these measures, our efforts will continue to produce temporary results rather than meaningful and lasting change.
THE GROUND REALITY MUST NOT BE IGNORED
The condition of our surroundings demands serious attention. Across towns, neighbourhoods, markets, roadsides, drains, and public spaces, irresponsible waste disposal remains a persistent concern. Plastic wrappers, bottles, food waste, packaging materials, and other forms of garbage are frequently discarded in places where they do not belong.
In many locations, waste is thrown on roadsides despite the availability of alternative disposal arrangements. In other areas, garbage accumulates in drains and eventually finds its way into streams, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. When the same locations are repeatedly used for dumping, they gradually turn into unofficial garbage sites.
The problem is not limited to an individual throwing away a single piece of waste. When hundreds or thousands of people behave irresponsibly, the collective impact becomes a serious environmental challenge.
We must recognise that a clean environment cannot be maintained if citizens continue to neglect their responsibilities. At the same time, the concerned authorities must ensure that waste collection services are accessible, regular, and effective.
Both sides have an essential role to play. Citizens must stop littering, while authorities must provide a reliable system for waste collection, segregation, transportation, and environmentally responsible disposal.
WHY STRICT FINES AND ENFORCEMENT ARE NECESSARY
One of the most effective ways to discourage irresponsible behaviour is to ensure that rules are implemented consistently.
Consider traffic regulations. Rules are established to maintain order, protect human life, and prevent accidents. When violations are detected and appropriate penalties are imposed, people have a stronger incentive to follow the law. Although violations may still occur, consistent enforcement can discourage irresponsible conduct.
The same principle must apply to cleanliness and environmental protection.
If a person is caught throwing garbage on a public road, into a drain, or directly into a river, stream, or lake, an appropriate penalty should be imposed under the applicable law. Repeat offenders should face stronger action wherever the law permits.
The objective should not be to collect money from citizens. The real purpose should be to change behaviour, prevent pollution, and protect public spaces.
Every individual should understand that littering is not a harmless act. A person must think twice before throwing garbage in a public place, not merely because someone might be watching, but because the law must be respected and its enforcement taken seriously.
There should be no unnecessary delay in taking action when a violation has been established. However, enforcement must remain fair, transparent, proportionate, and consistent. Citizens should know which activities constitute violations, what penalties apply, and how complaints can be reported.
A law that exists only on paper cannot deliver the results for which it was introduced. Rules become meaningful only when they are implemented on the ground.
AWARENESS WITHOUT ACTION WILL NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM
Awareness campaigns have an important role in educating society. They help people understand the consequences of pollution, encourage responsible behaviour, and motivate communities to participate in environmental protection.
Such campaigns must continue, particularly among children and young people, because environmental responsibility should be developed from an early age.
However, awareness cannot replace enforcement.
For years, people have been told not to throw garbage in public places. They have been informed about the harmful effects of plastic pollution and the importance of protecting natural resources.
But what happens when someone deliberately ignores these messages?
What happens when a person continues to dump garbage despite knowing that it is wrong?
What happens when a public place is cleaned in the morning and becomes dirty again by the evening?
If no meaningful action follows repeated violations, the message conveyed is that environmental rules can be ignored without consequences.
This is precisely why awareness and enforcement must go hand in hand. Awareness teaches people what is right, while enforcement ensures that irresponsible actions are addressed.
We cannot expect sanitation workers to clean the same locations indefinitely while those responsible for repeatedly polluting them face no consequences.
The purpose of a cleanliness campaign must be to create lasting behavioural change, not merely to remove garbage temporarily.
OUR RIVERS, STREAMS, LAKES AND WETLANDS ARE AT RISK
The situation becomes even more alarming when waste enters our natural water bodies.
Rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands are not dumping grounds. They are valuable ecosystems that support aquatic life, contribute to environmental balance, and form an essential part of our natural heritage.
When plastic and other waste enter these water bodies, the damage may extend far beyond what is immediately visible. Waste can accumulate along shorelines, harm aquatic organisms, obstruct waterways, and degrade natural habitats.
Pollution can also affect people whose livelihoods depend on healthy water bodies, including fishing communities, houseboat owners, and others associated with traditional occupations and tourism.
In Kashmir, our lakes and waterways are deeply connected with our environment, economy, tourism, cultural identity, and traditional way of life. Their protection is therefore not simply a matter of maintaining scenic beauty. It is a matter of environmental security, public welfare, and our responsibility towards future generations.
We cannot celebrate the natural beauty of Kashmir while allowing the very resources that sustain it to deteriorate.
If garbage continues to enter rivers and streams, if drains carry waste into lakes, and if wetlands are neglected, the cumulative environmental damage may become increasingly difficult and expensive to reverse.
Prevention is always better than restoration. Protecting a water body before it becomes severely polluted is far more sensible than waiting until extensive and costly intervention becomes necessary.
Our water bodies deserve protection every day, not only when an environmental event is organised or public attention is focused on them.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF WE DO NOT ACT NOW?
This is a question that every responsible citizen and institution must seriously consider.
What will happen if we continue throwing garbage into drains?
What will happen if plastic waste keeps entering our streams and rivers?
What will happen if our lakes become places where garbage accumulates rather than ecosystems that we protect?
What will happen if our wetlands are damaged and natural waterways become obstructed?
The consequences may include worsening pollution, damage to aquatic ecosystems, blocked drainage channels, unhealthy surroundings, and increasing pressure on public authorities and local communities.
Improperly managed waste can contribute to flooding when drainage systems become obstructed, although flooding also depends on other environmental and infrastructure-related factors. Polluted surroundings can create sanitation concerns, while degraded water bodies can threaten livelihoods and undermine the appeal of destinations that depend on a healthy natural environment.
Perhaps the greatest danger is that continued neglect gradually makes environmental destruction appear normal. People may begin accepting dirty roads, polluted drains, accumulated garbage, and waste along water bodies as an unavoidable part of everyday life.
We must never allow such a mentality to take root in our society.
A polluted environment is not our destiny. It is a problem that can be addressed through responsible behaviour, effective public services, proper waste management, and firm implementation of environmental laws.
If we fail to act today, future generations may inherit environmental problems that could have been prevented through timely decisions and collective responsibility.
CLEANLINESS IS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
Cleanliness cannot be the responsibility of sanitation workers alone. Every citizen has a role to play in maintaining a healthy environment.
Households must dispose of their waste responsibly. Shopkeepers must ensure that waste generated by their businesses is properly managed. Hotels, restaurants, markets, educational institutions, and other commercial establishments must comply with applicable waste-management requirements.
People must stop throwing waste from vehicles, dumping garbage beside roads, and using drains, streams, rivers, and lakes as convenient disposal points.
At the same time, public authorities must ensure that waste collection systems operate effectively and that illegal dumping is addressed promptly. Wherever collection services are inadequate, the gaps must be identified and corrected.
There should be regular monitoring of locations where repeated dumping occurs. If a particular roadside, drain, or public space repeatedly becomes dirty, the response must address both the people responsible for dumping waste and any shortcomings in the existing waste-management system.
Responsibility must be shared, but accountability must be clear.
No individual, business, or institution should consider itself above the law. Environmental rules must apply fairly to everyone.
RESPECT THE PEOPLE WHO KEEP OUR SURROUNDINGS CLEAN
We must recognise and appreciate the contribution of sanitation workers and everyone involved in maintaining our public spaces.
These workers perform an essential public service. They help maintain hygiene, protect public health, and contribute to the well-being of our communities. Their work deserves dignity, respect, appropriate equipment, safe working conditions, and proper institutional support.
However, their efforts cannot produce lasting results if people continue to litter irresponsibly.
It is unfair to expect sanitation workers to clean the same location repeatedly when others deliberately make it dirty again. The solution cannot be limited to sending more workers to collect the same waste every day.
We must also prevent avoidable littering, improve public behaviour, and take appropriate action against those who violate the rules.
A successful cleanliness system must focus on prevention as much as collection. It must reduce the amount of waste entering public spaces in the first place rather than relying entirely on cleaning it up afterwards.
A PRACTICAL ROADMAP FOR LASTING CHANGE
To address the problem effectively, the following measures deserve serious consideration and implementation:
1. Strict enforcement of anti-littering laws: Appropriate penalties should be imposed for littering and illegal dumping, in accordance with existing legal provisions. Enforcement must be visible, consistent, and fair.
2. Stronger action against repeat offenders: Individuals and establishments that repeatedly violate waste-management rules should face appropriate action under the law.
3. Reliable waste collection services: Authorities must ensure regular collection, accessible disposal facilities, and effective transportation and processing of waste.
4. Protection of water bodies: Drains, stream banks, riverbanks, lake edges, and wetlands must receive regular monitoring to prevent waste from entering natural ecosystems.
5. Accountability of commercial establishments: Hotels, restaurants, markets, and other major waste generators must fulfil their legal responsibilities for managing and disposing of waste.
6. Public reporting and follow-up: Citizens should have accessible channels to report illegal dumping, and complaints should receive timely and appropriate attention.
7. Waste segregation and responsible disposal: Household and commercial waste should be managed in accordance with applicable waste-management rules, with greater emphasis on segregation, recycling, and reducing avoidable plastic waste.
8. Awareness linked to measurable results: Public awareness programmes should continue, but their effectiveness must be assessed through visible improvements in cleanliness, reduced littering, and better protection of the environment.
These measures require coordination among the concerned departments, local authorities, communities, businesses, and citizens. The ultimate objective must be to prevent irresponsible dumping rather than repeatedly responding after pollution has already occurred.
CLEANLINESS MUST NOT REMAIN A ONE-DAY CAMPAIGN
A cleanliness drive can be valuable. It brings people together, removes accumulated waste, and draws attention to environmental problems.
However, a one-day campaign cannot solve a problem that continues throughout the year.
If an area is cleaned today and garbage returns tomorrow, we must ask why the system is failing. Is waste collection inadequate? Are people continuing to dump garbage illegally? Is monitoring insufficient? Are existing laws not being enforced? Are the concerned authorities responding effectively to repeated complaints?
These questions require honest answers and practical solutions.
The real measure of success is not the number of cleanliness events organised, photographs taken, or slogans displayed. It is whether our roads remain clean, our drains function properly, our public spaces are maintained, and our rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands are protected from avoidable pollution.
We need measurable and lasting improvements, not temporary results that disappear within a few days.
Cleanliness must become a daily practice supported by a dependable public system and a culture of accountability.
OUR NATURAL HERITAGE MUST BE PROTECTED THROUGH ACTION
As someone working for the protection of water bodies, I believe that environmental conservation requires more than expressions of concern. It requires sustained effort, practical solutions, public participation, and accountability at every level.
Our natural resources are not the property of one generation alone. They are a shared inheritance that we must protect and pass on to those who come after us.
Every piece of plastic thrown into a drain, every bag of garbage dumped beside a stream, and every act of irresponsible disposal contributes to a wider problem. Similarly, every responsible decision, every properly managed waste collection point, and every instance of effective enforcement can contribute to a cleaner environment.
The change we need will not happen overnight. However, it is achievable if environmental protection becomes a consistent priority rather than an occasional campaign.
We must encourage responsible citizens, support sanitation workers, improve public services, and ensure that those who deliberately violate environmental rules are held accountable through lawful and proportionate action.
Our rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands cannot speak for themselves. It is our responsibility to protect them.
A CALL FOR COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY AND REAL ACTION
My message is straightforward: we must stop treating cleanliness as merely a slogan and start treating it as a serious public responsibility.
We need awareness, but we also need enforcement. We need public participation, but we also need accountability. We need sanitation workers, but we must also ensure that citizens stop creating avoidable waste and disposing of it irresponsibly.
Our natural resources cannot protect themselves from human negligence. Their protection depends on informed citizens, responsible institutions, effective waste-management systems, and the consistent implementation of environmental laws.
Let us protect our roads and public spaces. Let us prevent garbage from entering drains, rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands. Let us respect the people who work to maintain cleanliness. Let us demand effective waste-management services and ensure that those who deliberately pollute public spaces face appropriate consequences under the law.
Most importantly, let us act before environmental damage becomes more serious and difficult to reverse.
A clean environment is not a luxury. It is essential to public health, ecological balance, community welfare, and the future of our children.
Cleanliness is not just a slogan; it is a responsibility. Awareness must lead to action, action must be supported by accountability, and accountability must deliver a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable environment for future generations.
( The author is a social activist working for the Protection of Water Bodies)
