Remembering Dr B R Ambedkar on the World Environmental Health Day: A Thematic analyses of his contributions to SDGs

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by Sandeep Singh      23 September 2022

World Environmental Health Day is observed every year on September 26th to raise awareness about environmental health issues. In 2011, the day was observed by the International Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH). Despite the fact that India is not a part of the IFEH, the day is observed in the country as well. The year 2016 saw the establishment of the Centre for Environmental Health (CEH) in collaboration with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). Every year, the CEH actively participates in India’s annual celebration of World Environmental Health Day.

Every year, a specific theme focusing on an international environmental health issue is used to celebrate World Environmental Health Day. Beginning with the theme of “Strengthening Environmental Health Systems for the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals,” it will take place this year.

In the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there are some evidences of Ambedkar’s vision; however, Indian environmentalists do not consider his views to be relevant to the topic of environmental sustainability. In April 2016, Ambedkar’s 125th birthday was widely observed. For the first time, the United Nations marked the occasion by devoting its efforts to the advancement of SDGs. Sharma (2017) explained why Ambedkar is marginalised by Indian environmental movements. Although the intersection of caste and Dalits, race and Black people, and their shared experiences, has been examined in many other contexts, the environmental field has largely ignored it. In terms of historical figures who have inspired environmentalists, Gandhi stands alone. During Indian Prime Minister Manmohan’s Government, eco-historical accounts of Nehru and Indira Gandhi were reconstructed as well. While Ambedkar’s influence on the environmental question is significant, little is known about his views on nature, land, agriculture, Modernization, community, village, water, industry, science and technology.

There is a reluctance to bring up caste when discussing environmental issues in Indian academic circles. Almost every school offers courses specifically dedicated to the study of environmental studies. The Environmental Humanities field emerged around the year 2000 and has been gaining traction ever since, but it is caste-blind in its operation in India. Casteism permeates both the mainstream Indian environmental movement and academic environmental history, obscuring the inequitable distribution of natural resources and ignoring the ecological crisis facing Dalits. We have been doing little more than celebrating B. R. Ambedkar without actually implementing his plan to integrate Dalits into the mainstream of modern society. In light of this, it is crucial to comprehend both the ideology and the political philosophy that Babasaheb Ambedkar advanced in order to create a feasible and implementable action plan to achieve the SDGs.

Casteism in the Environment and Environmental Health

“Environment” usually conjures images of tropical forests, oceans, and global warming, while the term “environment” has broader meanings. The term “environment” is used to describe the natural setting in which a living thing exists. The environment is experienced differently by various groups of people. These experiences, whether they involve climate change, natural disasters, or access to natural resources, are shaped by a person’s social class, racial identity, caste, and various other identities.

Environmental health is a subfield of public health that studies how people interact with their environment. It also strives to improve people’s health and well-being, as well as to build safe and secure communities. Environmental health generally complies with the Sustainable Development Goals, the most crucial of which are inclusive economic growth to end poverty (SDG 1); eradicating hunger (SDG 2), the UN action plan and the Babasaheb-driven action plan proposed in this paper may be at odds with one another, with Babasaheb advocating for self-sufficiency and domestic production and the UN advocating for global trade as a means to feed the world’s growing population; ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all (SDG 3), providing quality education to improve people’s lives (SDG 4); Gender equality for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world (SDG 5); clean, accessible water for all (SDG 6); and reducing inequalities with universal policies that, in principle, take into account the needs of disadvantaged and marginalised populations (SDG 10) (Meka, 2022). Thus, environmental health is an integral part of a community’s overall public health system, as it promotes policies and programmes to lessen people’s exposure to harmful chemicals in their local air, water, soil, and food.

The concept of caste, as well as the disproportionate impact that environmental injustices have on certain racial groups, has received a lot of attention and been studied extensively. This bias is evident in the exclusion of lower-caste people from positions of leadership within the ecology movement, as well as in the creation and enforcement of environmental regulations and laws. The Brahminical and colonial ideologies that have shaped our understanding of nature and the environment have obscured the complexity of our relationships with the natural world. There is a need to investigate the connection between caste and environment health in India where caste hierarchies are deeply rooted. Therefore, protecting people from infectious diseases and other potentially harmful agents requires maintaining and improving environmental health in line with the sustainable development goals.

Sneak Preview of Dr B. R. Ambedkar Life and Ideology 

Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was born on April 14, 1891 at Mhow, in the then Central Province and now in Madhya Pradesh. He was born to parents named Ramji Maloji Sakpal and Bhimabai. Due to his family’s Dalit status, he was denied equal treatment. As a child and a young man, he endured a lot of hardships and experienced various forms of social discrimination. Teachers and classmates alike looked down on Ambedkar with disdain. But as a student who excelled despite these challenges, he showed that they were all surmountable with the right combination of intelligence and perseverance. Ambedkar’s skillset was diverse and extensive. In retrospect, we recognise him as a respected educator, social scientist, lawyer, politician, intellectual, social activist, narrator, and barrister. He also served as the Gaikwad’s military secretary for a short while.

Being one of India’s greatest scholars, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was picked to head the committee that drafted the Indian constitution. Ambedkar is credited as being the father of the Indian Constitution. Despite coming from a caste that was socially disadvantaged, he achieved incredible success and helped to draft India’s constitution. He was adamant about abolishing the caste system, improving education, and elevating the Untouchables. After all of the painful experiences he had endured, he was determined to change society drastically. He adopted Buddhism as his religion in 1956. The Dalit Buddhist Movement was inspired by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, who also supported women’s rights and labour rights while fighting for the rights of untouchables (Dalits). He served as our nation’s independent India’s first law minister. He gave the under-recognized and underdeveloped community a voice. He was adamant about getting rid of the caste system, advancing education, and uplifting the Untouchables. In addition to the Scheduled Caste Federation, he founded the Independent Labour Party. It’s admirable what he has given to the Reserve Bank of India and the Finance Commission of India. His posthumous Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, was given to him in 1990 after his death on December 6, 1956. After all of the painful experiences he had endured, he was determined to change society drastically. He adopted Buddhism as his religion in 1956. The Dalit Buddhist Movement was inspired by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, who also supported women’s rights and labour rights while fighting for the rights of untouchables (Dalits). He served as our nation’s independent India’s first law minister. He gave the under-recognized and underdeveloped community a voice. He was adamant about getting rid of the caste system, improving education, and uplifting the Untouchables. In addition to the Scheduled Caste Federation, he founded the Independent Labour Party. It’s admirable what he has given to the Reserve Bank of India and the Finance Commission of India. His posthumous Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, was given to him in 1990 after his death on December 6, 1956.

Amberkar’s Views on SDGs to Strengthen Environmental Health

The common belief is that Dr. Ambedkar advocated for untouchables or Dalits, but this is not the case, his own reflections on the subject show that he saw modernity from a different perspective, one in which the Dalits were not included in the same ecological space or intellectual universe as upper-caste Indians. It implies that Dalits or members of lower castes are not entitled to a peaceful existence. Dr. Ambedkar had some excellent ideas on the subject of social, political, economic, and gender equality, all of which had been marginalized by the dominant social classes. Survival in an often hostile environment, even it is not possible. Even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, “social distancing” rules encourage Savarnas (upper-caste) to reinforce caste prejudices in the name of science. Inequality of caste in India was revealed by the “social distancing” and “home quarantine” rules. Kumar & Mishra (2022).The access to privileged water sources for consumption by households and the cost of performing hand washing with soap or detergent are both examples of how the graded caste inequality persists. The forward caste enjoys the greatest privileges in maintaining home isolation and quarantine, while the Dalits cannot. Dalits become more exposed to the pandemic as a result. The social inequality in India is clearly demonstrated by this pandemic. It is impossible to survive in a constantly dangerous environment. Dr. Ambedkar’s idea of “sustainable development” in this context has a truly global focus.

Dr. Ambedkar was a prolific writer who covered topics like economics, science, modernization, urbanization, technology, development, and planning. He actively contributed to the formulation of a post-war economic plan, as well as a strategy for the development of the country’s water and electric power resources. Deodar, Mahanadi, and a few others are examples of current major and minor river valley projects. The economic and political structures of society should be defined by law and the constitution, according to Dr. Ambedkar, if democracy is to uphold the principle of “one man, one vote.”

Achim Steiner, administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, has stated unequivocally that Ambedkar’s goals of equality and social justice are reflected in the goals of the UN’s 2030 development agenda. You might be perplexed as to how Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, who lived almost a century ago, could have imagined the UN SDGs, which are yet to be accomplished by 2030. It confirms his revolutionary visionary nature and his extraordinary foresight. His work as a social reformer was instrumental in ending untouchability and discrimination and opening up opportunities for people of all backgrounds. In his role as minister of law, he drafted and secured legislation that ensured equal access to education and employment for women and down-troddens. As the gap between the rich and poor in India widens over time, the ideas and principles of Babasaheb Ambedkar offer a path forward with focus and a strategy for change. The SDGs are consistent with his efforts to close the socio-economic gap because they prioritize the sustain development and economic well-being of every individual. Overall, there are several key takeaways from Babasaheb Ambedkar’s perspective on the SDGs can be summarized in SDGs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10.

There are intriguing ecological dimensions to Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Thoughts. His thoughts on humanity’s place in the natural world were helpful in that they thrust issues of equality into the center of the environmental debate. According to Dr. Ambedkar, environmental degradation is caused not just by the excessive use of finite resources, but also by the unequal access that various social groups have to that resources. This is especially true when it comes to the availability of clean drinking water for members of society who are at the bottom of the social hierarchy, such as the Dalits. This article argues that Dr. Ambedkar’s theory of environmentalism can be captured by focusing on his thinking’s ecological dimension. Although elite institutions may seem less enthusiastic about incorporating caste, individuals like Ambedkar have the power to incorporate caste issues into formal environment curricula. The inclusion of more critical reflections from an Ambedkarite vantage point will enrich this field, if an anti-caste approach and a perspective from the margins would be adopted by it. The ideas of Ambedkar serve as a reminder that environmental governance should be developed in accordance with the principle of equity and a bio-ethical spirit in order to meet the needs of all segments of human society. Ambedkar’s thinking helps us prioritize ecological democracy and inclusive environmentalism (ecology for all).