By Muhammad Lateef
What a pity for a nation which was created purely in the name of Islam and which
claims to believe in Quran and Sunnah is so filthy in all aspects of life that
it needs a national campaign for the cleanliness. Islam aims at purifying human
souls and body and the final divine revelation Quran teaches its followers to
keep their hearts, bodies and clothes clean because “Allah loves those who
remain clean”. The Prophet (peace be upon him) also amply emphasized on the need
for Muslims to remain clean as “Cleanliness is half Emaan (faith)”. So it
becomes obligatory for all practising Muslims to not only observe cleanliness in
their personal lives but also keep their surroundings, communities and society
clean as a whole. However, it is an unfortunate reality that today of all the
countries governed by the Muslims are the dirtiest and most unhygienic ones.
In fact, cleanliness is a mindset and a behaviour which is instilled in the
subconscious and which can only be ensured if all members of a society are
groomed from their childhood in an environment where cleanliness and hygiene is
practised as a habit and a natural phenomenon. In Pakistan barring few posh
localities the whole country is filled with piles of waste and one doesn’t find
even a single square yard of land without plastic bottles, shopping bags, tins,
cigarette buds and packets, tissue and newspapers, disposable plastic glasses,
plates, old rugs, building material, rotten fruits and vegetables, pieces of
bread, cooked meals and its disposable wrappings; you name a thing and it is on
the streets, along the road side and an open residential plot in any society
beomes a favorite garbage dumping place which ultimately turns out to be a
breeding ground for mosquitoes and flies and spread of many related diseases.
Public parks, bazaars, schools, colleges, hospitals, streets, bus stands,
railway stations, most of the hotels and even tourist sites are all littered
with junk displaying an unpleasant sight. Our sea side in Karachi is so filthy/
smelly that local tourists and study tours from across the country really get
confused about actual sight/ colour of sea and beaches when they compare Clifton
or Manohra with the beaches or coastlines shown on Animal Planet or Discovery
channels. Due to unplanned construction and lack of proper sewage system,
village streets besides above mentioned littering are also filled with stinking
mud and animal dung. For months after Eid-ul-Azha, waste of sacrificial animals’
remains indisposed creating environmental pollution. Unplanned disposal of
Industrial waste is another source of foul smell and perennial environmental
pollution.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan has announced to launch cleanliness drive
throughout the country which is a welcome step and appreciated by all segments
of the society. Let’s hope that we start behaving and living like a civilized
society and come out of this uncivilized practice for good successfully. There
is a need to evolve a long term and permanent policy to ensure that Pakistan
emerges and maintains itself as one of the cleaner countries in the world. The
training for this changed mindset will have to start from the laps of the
mothers, in house, in schools and spread over to work and public places.
Representatives of local governments can be instrumental and play a pivotal role
in achieving the long term objective of a clean society. Re-activation of
municipal corporations under Union, Tehsil and District Council Nazims is
mandatory for a sustainable cleanliness drive. Members Provincial and National
Assemblies and Senators can also play their role in facilitating success of
cleanliness drive in their respective constituencies in coordination with
District Administration and representatives of Union Councils. Media can also
play a positive and constructive role in spreading sponsored social service
messages to educate the masses on the need for cleanliness. Let it become a
national movement in which all members of society irrespective of the gender,
age and status play their part in creating a cleaner Pakistan.
Another related issue is disposal of the junk; In fact, we should not try to
re-invent the wheel and must benefit from the experience and best practices of
the developed nations who are recycling almost everything. Developed nations are
even accepting empty water bottles in exchange for bus and metro tickets. Animal
dung is being used by many countries to produce bio gas, which is a much cleaner
and convenient fuel as compared to dry dung and for producing feed for ducks
etc; we may like to adopt this practice at Union Councils level. There is also a
need to establish recycling plants at District level at convenient distance from
its Tehsils and evolve a mechanism to collect and transport garbage from all
Union Councils to recycling plant. Under the supervision of local governments
streets of all villages should be brick lined as per natural lay of the ground
for efficient sewage and disposal of rain water. Dumping of garbage in/ astride
nullahs and disposal of sewerage system in open drains, nullahs, canals, rivers
and sea must be stopped immediately. Slaughter houses may be constructed at
Union Council/ Sub Union Council level and related small industries established
to make productive use of animal’s blood, skin, intestines and waste etc. Strict
legislation and implementation for proper disposal of industrial waste is a need
of the hour to stop both the environmental pollution and poisoning of sub
surface water. Special committees may be formed to ensure cleanliness and
efficient maintenance of all touristic sites. Planned plantation and
aesthetically done landscaping can also help in creating an overall good
environment.
Let’s start this Nobel national drive from ourselves, our houses, streets,
mohallahs, and our work places spreading it to the whole of the country. Let’s
make “Cleaner Pakistan” as our national slogan. It may also be interesting to
generate a healthy competition among federally administered areas, provinces,
divisions, districts and tehsils to choose the cleanest area in the country
through a national social survey. It is hoped that through our collective effort
we and our future generations will be able to live in a cleaner Pakistan which
is otherwise a social and religious responsibility for all practicing Muslims.
(The writers is freelance columnist from Chakwal)