Equi-City runs multiple campaigns to promote sustainable living

Awareness-raising and dissemination of information is critical to create an enabling environment for accountability, promote participatory and inclusive processes for follow-up and review. All people including marginalized and vulnerable groups should be aware and understand the cleaner environment and effective solid waste management practices. Raising public awareness is also essential to foster the political and social change needed to achieve the agenda.Awareness raising campaigns can be defined as organised communication activities which aim to create awareness on particular topics such as health, environment, and education and bring about behavioural change among the general population and to improve the focus on better outcomes. Messages can be conveyed through many different channels, such as mass media (television, radio), social media, public relations, events, talks, demonstrations, tours and print media but awareness raising campaigns are recognised as the most efficient and effective means of communicating information especially to the general public.
Raising awareness about the city’s municipal solid waste (MSW) management activities and the benefits of proper solid waste management can result in an increase in:

• Use of city waste collection services by the public and private sectors
• Funding for waste management from local elected officials
• Adoption and enforcement of local waste management policies by local elected officials
• Support for local-level activities from national governments
• Public participation in organic diversion and recycling programs. Each of these outcomes can contribute to a city’s efforts to reduce the impacts of waste management on health, the economy, the environment, and the society

Awareness raising is a two-way street, fostering communication and information exchange in order to improve mutual understanding as well as mobilising communities and the whole society to bring about the necessary change in attitudes and behaviour. With this objective in mind, the Equi-City Team conducted various campaigns for public awareness and advocacy for health and sanitation amongst marginal group of people.

Sanitation awareness and medical camp at Bhandewadi dumping site

August 6, 2019
The Bhandewadi dumpsite is an open dumpsite in Nagpur, spread over 22 hectares or 54 acres of land. The dumpsite has been in operation since the year 1966. It is estimated that more than 18,00,000 MT of waste has been dumped on the dumpsite since its inception. However, no actual record of waste dumped at the dumpsite is available with the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). In the year 2011, a part of the waste from the dumpsite was shifted and capping was provided over an area of 40,630 sqm (4 ha). The balance area is currently being used for the disposal of waste. The NMC has earlier constructed a cell for the safe disposal of rejects from MSW processing on the existing dumpsite.
The sanitation awareness campaign and medical camp, organised by the Equi-City teamstarted early in the morning at Bhandwadi dumping site, Nagpur. The doctors from Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Institute of Medical Science Research & Human Resources and Anusuya Kale from Swachh Association participated actively in the campaign. The Equi-City team, Nagpur introduced rag pickers and other workers at the dumpsite with the benefits of cleanliness and asked them to spread the message to the citizens also. Around 100 rag pickers took benefit of the medical camp amongst which 40 were females and 60 were males. The three major check-ups were conducted which were, dental check-up, breast examination, and blood pressure check-up. The objective of the campaign was to spread awareness about health related issues mainly targeting the rag pickers and workers at Bhandewadi dumping yard by organising health check-upsand sanitation awareness program.

Sensitisation campaign for rainwater harvesting

August 14, 2019
The Equi-City team along with the All India Institute of Local Self-Government (AIILSG) organised an awareness and sensitisation campaign in the Gokulpeth area of the Nagpur city. The urban awareness campaign was based on the theme of rainwater harvesting and organised on August 14, 2018 covering around 1500 households in the locality of Valmiki Nagar, Gokulpeth Market and Coffee House Chowk.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is a simple method by which rainfall is collected for future usage. The collected rainwater may be stored, utilized in different ways or directly used for ground recharge purposes. With depleting groundwater levels and fluctuating climateconditions, RWH can go a long way to help mitigate these effects. The rainwater capture can help recharge local aquifers, reduce urban flooding and most importantly ensure water availability in water-scarce zones. Though the term seems to have picked up greater visibility in the last few years, it was, and is even today, a traditional practice followed in rural India. Some ancient rainwater harvesting methods followed in India include madakas, aharpynes, surangas, taankas and many more. These water conservation methods can be easily practiced in individual homes, apartments, parks, offices and temples too, across the world.
Thus rainwater harvesting is a sustainable process which should be promoted and made compulsory in the future as it helps in preserving rain water for different purposes and for the future needs as well. Thus, citizens were sensitized by distributing pamphlets depicting importance and method of rainwater harvesting.

Sensitisation campaign for waste segregation

August 7 and 28, 2019
The Equi-City team conducted sensitisation campaign in Satranjipura and Gandhibagh zones of Nagpur to make aware people about the importance of segregation of waste and its benefits. Shekhar Giradkar, research associate, Equi-City, and Anusaya Kale, President of Swachh Bharat Association addressed the sanitation workers and influenced them for segregating waste at source. The Equi-City team sensitised around 300 sanitation workers about importance of segregating waste.
A sanitation worker collects door-to-door waste and removes waste and recyclables from residential, commercial, industrial or other collection site for further processing and waste disposal.
Thus, if a sanitation worker is influenced about importance of segregating waste, he can daily influence other citizens about the segregation. The sanitation workers were asked about the type of garbage they come across and were explained about classification of waste. They were informed about dry waste such as glass, metal, paper, plastic, etc. which they can sell for recycling and how compost can be produced from wet waste. Many were unaware about how to dispose medical waste like sanitary pads, bandages, medicines, etc. and e-waste like batteries, wires, etc. The methods of disposal of these kinds of waste were explained to them.
The sanitation campaign thus worked to bring about behavioral changes in people and to motivate health practices, spreading cleanliness awareness and waste segregation awareness. The campaign was a huge success considering the participation level of sanitation workers. The interaction with sanitation workers was helpful to understand their perspective and issues they are facing in segregation of waste. The campaign was appreciated by the people and encouraged them to segregate waste.