BARAMULLA, OCT 2: Director General Rural Sanitation, Jammu and Kashmir, Anoo Malhotra, has called for stronger community participation in sanitation planning and implementation, stressing that local people understand their sanitation needs best and must have a greater role in building sustainable cleanliness and waste-management systems across the Union Territory.
Speaking at the culmination of the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign in Tangmarg, Malhotra described people as the “best planners” of sanitation plans and emphasised that community ownership is essential for achieving lasting sanitation outcomes. She said sanitation initiatives should be aligned with local requirements and supported by active participation from communities, local institutions and other stakeholders.
The DG identified source segregation of waste as a key component of an effective sanitation system and stressed the need for proper forward linkages so that segregated waste reaches designated facilities for scientific processing and disposal. She said strengthening waste-processing mechanisms and maintaining sanitation assets would remain important priorities going forward.
Malhotra highlighted the department’s efforts to expand public participation through youth engagement, community mobilisation and cultural programmes, saying such initiatives are aimed at making cleanliness a sustained community responsibility rather than a campaign-limited activity.
She stressed that the conclusion of Swachhata Hi Seva should mark the continuation, rather than the end, of collective sanitation efforts. “Don’t let this momentum die,” she urged stakeholders, calling for sustained action to preserve the cleanliness gains achieved during the campaign.
She said durable sanitation outcomes would depend on coordinated efforts by communities, local bodies, youth and other stakeholders, backed by efficient systems for segregation, collection, transportation, scientific processing and responsible disposal of waste.
The DG’s message placed community-led planning, behavioural change, source segregation and scientific waste management at the centre of the ongoing sanitation efforts in Jammu and Kashmir, with emphasis on converting cleanliness campaigns into sustained, long-term practices.
