We are all responsible for the urban environment

The Nation 08/01/2010

Lack of civic awareness explains why Bangkok remains a dirty, polluted city

Bangkok may not be the dirtiest capital city in Asia but if you are happy about its overall hygienic condition, then your expectations are remarkably low. Pick a public spot and the evidence is always there. Litter, be it cigarette butts, used bottles, plastic bags, dog and cat faeces, and more, are still common sights. This is not to mention the dust and airborne construction debris.

This isn't to say that street sweepers and cleaners working for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) aren't working hard. For what they earn, and the level of pollution and trash they face, they deserve a great deal of credit, although some may argue that we need more of them and need them to work harder.

One area not pursued at this point is raising of awareness about the city's cleanliness and citizens' duties in contributing to such a cause. Not since Chamlong Srimuang was Bangkok governor two decades ago was any serious cleanup campaign mounted, and today, Greater Bangkok remains a dirty place. An ongoing campaign to educate Bangkokians about the virtue of not littering is needed urgently. And now is the time that action has to be taken.

Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhan Paribatra is boasting about his first year's achievements to the public. Is it not time that he looked into this matter seriously? All it would take for him to realise the extent of the problem would be to spend half a day walking on any streets around any area in Bangkok.

Having stated that, we should not leave the matter only to the BMA governor and his staff. Schools, offices and communities can initiate educational efforts and become more responsible about the cleanliness, as well as safety, of their environs. Alas it is very rare indeed to see any groups using an afternoon once a month to help clean up their local vicinity. People are too used to relegate such duties to others. But expecting BMA street sweepers to work harder alone won't solve the problem. In this huge metropolis, there are simply not enough of them, or the resources to support them.

But people continue to think that it's none of their business to help clean up Bangkok, since there are already people tasked with the job. Such a mentality will not help make Bangkok any cleaner, and is in fact a symptom of a weak and uncaring society.

This is akin to people who think that their democratic duty is over as soon they cast their ballot paper every four years or so, because their "good" representatives will now take care of all civic matters in Parliament. But politics, like cleanliness, requires greater participation in order to improve standards.

Bangkokians seem to have a high level of tolerance, or even disregard, for the degradation of their environment. While most keep their homes clean, they couldn't care less about what happens right outside. Some attribute this to the lack of a sense of public ownership, that people are used to leaving this sphere to the state.

If that is the case, then people need to be convinced that together they own the sois, the streets, and all other public areas - and a concerted campaign to change such an apathetic attitude is needed.

The need to feel a common ownership, to elevate the level of cleanliness of the city in which we live and work, is vital if Bangkok is to become a cleaner and more community-oriented place. This civic sense of common duty and responsibility is also necessary for democracy to thrive. More discussion is needed right now on how Bangkok can become cleaner. Any debate that might lead to action will undeniably be a good beginning.