1st April 2018, Gasa:
"Where we live must be CLEAN, safe, organised, and beautiful, for national integrity, national pride, and for our bright future. This too is nation building." - His Majesty The King of Bhutan.
We celebrated this year’s April Fools Day with a voluntary cleaning campaign. It was coordinated by Gasa Desuups, participated by RBP (7 nos), Desuups (6), teachers (8), students (30), forest (1), Telecom(1), Dzongkhag Adm (5) and Desuups (5). Similar cleaning was also organized in Bjishong Central School by the Desuups. 
Gasa aspires to be the cleanest Dzongkhag with “Zero litter” vision to inspire the rest that we all can be clean and we can keep our homes and surroundings clean. We have voluntarily taken up this responsibility because Gasa has the best given conditions amongst Dzongkhags/Thromdes. We have the smallest population and we assume the quantity of litter/waste is directly proportional to the size of the population. We have just about 3300 people, which is smaller than many Gewogs of other Dzongkhags/Thromdes. Our biggest town has a population of about 1000 only; therefore we should be able to manage our litter/trash quite comfortably as compared to all other Dzongkhags/Thromdes. Besides, whole Dzongkhag is within Park and the Dzongkhag has been practicing natural/organic agriculture since 2004.

So, we keep on telling ourselves, if we cannot be clean and keep our Dzongkhag clean, how can other bigger Dzongkhags/Thromdes can? So that’s the inspiration.

But to date we have been proved otherwise. We cannot deny that situation has improved a bit but we have a long way to go as far as our target of “Zero litter” is concerned. Today we have collected so much trash/litter all hidden in some bushes nearby. We believe that we are facing the same if not bigger challenges in combating this litter/trash invasion like any other Dzongkhags/Thromdes. But we are not giving up and we cannot give up as His Majesty has said, keeping our surrounding clean is too a Nation Building.

So, since last 3 years, we have embarked on many initiatives. With the launch of Clean Gasa Initiative in 2015, the civil servants started to carry trash bags to collect trash on our way to office and back home. We joined the Nation in observing 9th of every month as cleaning day since 2016. Since Tshachu is the most busiest place in Gasa, every Friday is observed as cleaning day during which everyone including the visitors are required to participate since 2017. Adopted waste/trash bins are put up in different areas. From time to time, mass cleaning campaigns are organized and “cleaning” is always one topic that is covered during official address of Dzongda and other senior dzongkhag staff.

We are now implementing the carrot and stick policy. We will be awarding attractive cash prizes to the top three waste collectors during our National Day Celebration. To start with this competition is being implemented only in and around Gasa Dzong/Khatoed Gewog area. At the same time, we will be implementing the waste management Act by imposing fines to the defaulters. We be installing CCTV at strategic locations to monitor the defaulters besides surprise visits by committees.

But the secret to the sustainable waste/trash management is INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY. If each individual take care of one’s waste/trash, there will be no trash problem. So it is about learning a new habit; a new culture; and a new value. Like all changes, these should also start from oneself, one’s family and one’s home. So finally its about education and awareness. And, without doubt parents, guardian and teachers also can play crucial and critical role in adopting new habit of taking care of one’s trash/waste even if its as small as a sweet wrapper. BUT THE POINT IS - FIRST BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE!