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The Hindu
16 hours ago
- General
- The Hindu
Takeaways from the Swachh Survekshan
Rankings and celebrations apart, the ninth edition of Swachh Survekshan, branded as the world's largest cleanliness survey, provides policy makers and city managers a reality check on urban sanitation and waste management, and a reliable database. The annual survey steered by Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)-Urban had not only over 4,500 cities competing, compared to less than 100 in 2016, but was also backed by elaborate assessments and third party verification and further bolstered by feedback from 140 million city dwellers. From segregation, collection, transportation, and management of waste to the welfare of sanitation workers and grievance redressal, the 10 parameters of the survey are comprehensive. The survey has emerged as an effective driver of competition and movement in city sanitation. It also provides a measure of the gaps in India's journey towards clean cities. Different population sizes The advent of Super Swachh League this year was an overdue twist to break the stalemate at the top of the rankings. Indore, Surat, and Navi Mumbai — all mascots of cleanliness for a while — entered this new space along with 20 other cities of different population sizes. Members of the League could create new benchmarks and compete among themselves while yielding space to new aspirants to enter clean city ranks. That is how Ahmedabad, Bhopal, and Lucknow could break into the top as India's cleanest cities this time in the million-plus category, with another 12 receiving ranks in their own population segments. Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 appeared focused on faster democratisation of city cleanliness. The expansion of population categories from two to five, starting from cities with a population of less than 20,000 to those with a million-plus population, provided a fairer platform for cities to perform. Those hitherto lagging are now catching up. Odisha is an example. Bhubaneswar moved up from the 34th to the 9th rank; small towns such as Aska and Chikiti worked their way to the top three clean cities in their categories; and mid-size cities including Rourkela, Cuttack, and Berhampur moved considerably upwards. These trends create hope that cleanliness is not a preserve of only certain States. Cities from the south are yet to make any big mark in the clean city show with Bengaluru being the least inspirational. Hyderabad, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Guntur, and Mysuru were the best in the region. The National Capital Region presents an interesting medley: while the New Delhi Municipal Council areas and Noida ranked best for meticulous sanitation implementation, Delhi, Gurugram, and Ghaziabad improved their ranks irrespective of the negative reports they received in the public domain. The clean city basket has grown larger since one promising clean city was picked up from each State based on its progress and potential. Once cities are positively stamped, they tend to stay in the aspirational course. Understood this way, the 78 Swachh awards given were not too many. Setting up the cleanest cities as mentors to the most underperforming ones could help in the proliferation of multiple good practices among urban local bodies (ULBs). While Indore is a veteran in segregating the last gram of waste into six buckets at source — dry, wet, domestic hazardous, plastic, sanitary and e-waste; Surat has been making good revenue by selling sewage-treated water. Pune's waste management is anchored on cooperatives formed by ragpickers. Visakhapatnam made an eco-park from remediated legacy waste site. Lucknow produced an iconic waste wonder park. The Kuberpur area in Agra, once a toxic dumpsite, transformed to 47 acres of green, by engaging bioremediation and biomining technologies. Tourist destinations and places of high footfall received special emphasis in the survey. Prayagraj was awarded in the category of Ganga towns, and special recognition was extended to the recent Maha Kumbh for its sanitation management. India accounts for less than 1.5% of international tourist arrivals. Cities need to do much more than an occasional cleanliness drive to enhance tourist experience. The theme this year The theme of 'reduce, reuse, and recycle (RRR)', advocated by the 2025 survey, carries the prospect of jobs, enterprise, and invigoration of self-help groups. The theme of the last survey was 'waste to wealth'. We are yet to raise the billions of rupees out of waste that is possible. For this, policy needs to better incentivise investors. Waste-to-energy plants are gaining traction but the private sector may be concerned about commercial viability. Citizens are yet to take meaningful action even though the RRR approach is entrenched in India's ancient traditions. While a universal resentment against open defecation has been achieved by SBM, a behaviour change movement fostering intolerance against waste and fighting against consumerism has been tough to initiate. As more cities get identified as hubs of growth, we must prioritise the management of 1.5 lakh tonnes of solid waste generated every day. A lot will depend on delivery at decentralised levels, especially by ULBs in enforcing segregation, collection, transport, and processing, including of the more challenging plastic and e-waste. The business of waste management in cities may look chaotic, but it remains possible. The rise of Surat from being a place of garbage three decades ago to the top place in the sanitation chart last year shows that this is a possibility in all cities in India. Akshay Rout, Former Director General, Swachh Bharat Mission.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Not so swachh: MCG, MCM among 81 civic bodies in Haryana that fudged waste data
Gurgaon: After the Swachh Survekshan results were declared on July 17, city residents spoke about alleged data manipulation. They asked how Gurgaon could improve its rankings from 140 last year to 41 this year despite construction debris and garbage strewn across the roads and public places. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It has come to light now among 's 87 municipalities, 81 local bodies — including NCR cities Gurgaon, Faridabad and Manesar — provided inaccurate information by claiming 100% door-to-door waste collection during the survey. Several urban local bodies (ULBs) recorded less than 60% coverage, with some falling below 40%. According to the data accessed by TOI, significant discrepancies were found between reported and actual door-to-door waste collection coverage across several cities in Haryana. Gurgaon's claim of 100% doorstep collection contrasted sharply with the actual survey finding of 59% coverage. commissioner Pradeep Dahiya told TOI, "We will probe the matter and a report will be sought from the nodal officer of Swachh Bharat Mission. We will submit it to the directorate and wait for their review on the same." In the backdrop of the revelations, Haryana ULB department has written to all municipalities, highlighting such "significant misreporting" indicates serious negligence, stemming from either oversight failures or intentional data falsification. The letter, sent on July 19 to the municipalities, also says this behaviour "damages the state's reputation" and affects its position in national Swachh Survekshan rankings. The department has instructed municipalities to levy penalties on agencies that have misrepresented facts in their door-to-door waste collection and waste transportation services data on the Swachh portal. The department mandates issuing show-cause notices to the respective SBM nodal officers of these ULBs. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Report within 7 days Both deputy municipal commissioners and municipal commissioners must submit a detailed factual report to headquarters within seven days, including recommendations for issuing chargesheets against relevant officials under applicable service regulations, read the letter. The communication also revealed that while most Haryana ULBs reported 100% doorstep waste collection coverage on the SBM portal, independent assessment for Swachh Survekshan in 2024 showed considerably lower figures. The ULB department instructed commissioners and deputy municipal commissioners to submit their findings on this matter by July 26. The data inconsistencies extended to other cities as well. Manesar's reported 100% coverage was found to be only 72% in reality. Faridabad's claim of 100% coverage was contradicted by ground surveys showing only 35% actual coverage, revealing a substantial 65% gap. Similarly, Nuh's claim of complete coverage was discovered to be just 54%. Palwal and Panchkula demonstrated actual coverage rates of 57% and 61% respectively, despite claiming 100%. The surveys also revealed Rewari achieving 73% coverage, while Bhiwani registered 48%. "This gross misreporting reflects a grave dereliction of duty either due to supervisory failure or deliberate data manipulation. It tarnishes the image of the state, undermines our ranking in national assessments and jeopardises funding and credibility under the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 Urban," read the letter sent by the ULB to the municipalities on Saturday. However, several cities demonstrated commendable performance in waste collection services. Karnal's reported 100% coverage was largely accurate, with surveys confirming 98% implementation. Panipat and Samalkha achieved impressive 99% coverage, whilst Rohtak reached 96%. Ganaur's claim of 100% coverage was fully validated by the ground survey. Among the cities that performed well, Karnal also submitted 100% doorstep waste collection coverage and the survey found it to be 98% on the ground. Panipat and Samalkha got 99%, Rohtak got 96%, and Ganaur's claim matched with the survey at 100%.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Oulgaret Municipality bags Swachh award for most promising clean city of U.T.
Oulgaret Municipality has bagged the award under the 'Most Promising Clean City of State/UT' category at the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 awards ceremony held in New Delhi on Thursday, July 17, 2025. The Union Territory earned the honour in the 9th edition of what is possibly the world's biggest urban cleanliness surveys, a press note from the Local Administration department said. President Droupadi Murmu conferred the prestigious Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 Awards at a national ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) at Vigyan Bhawan in the presence of Union Minister Manohar Lal and Minister of State Tokhan Sahu. A total of 78 awards were presented across four categories – Super Swachh League Cities; Top 3 clean cities in 5 population categories; Special Category: Ganga Towns, Cantonment Boards, SafaiMitra Suraksha, Mahakumbh and State Level Awards – Promising clean city of State/UT. The award for Oulgaret Municipality was received from the Union Minister in the presence of Srinivas Katikithala, MoHUA Secretary and Roopa Mishra, Joint Secretary-cum-Mission Director, Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) by R. Kesavan, Secretary (LA), along with S. Shakthyvel, Director (LA)-cum-Mission Director (SBM) and A. Sureshraj, Commissioner, Oulgaret Municipality. According to the press note, Oulgaret Municipality earned the national recognition for their cleanliness efforts as the Most Promising Clean City of the Union Territory of Puducherry. The 2024-25 awards that spotlighted the theme of 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle' involved over 3,000 assessors conducting thorough inspections in every ward across the country over a period of 45 days. An estimated 11 lakh households were assessed on urban living standards during the exercise. Under the SBM (U) 2.0, the Union Territory of Puducherry through its Mission Directorate at the Local Administration department (LAD), is implementing six Solid Waste Management projects related to Integrated Solid Waste Processing and Legacy Waste Management in Pondicherry, Oulgaret, Karaikal and Yanam municipalities, Urban Sanitation projects in all five municipalities, including construction of community toilets, public toilets and aspirational toilets, and Used Water Management projects in Mahe and Yanam municipalities, the press note said.
Hans India
6 days ago
- General
- Hans India
Swachh Survekshan feat: Hyd'bad gets 6th cleanest city tag in country
Hyderabad: Greater Hyderabad has been ranked the sixth cleanest city across the country, and gets seven-star rating under the Swachh Survekshan rankings. The rankings are conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under the Swachh Bharat Urban Mission (SBM), which is the world's largest urban sanitation and cleanliness survey. In 2023-24, the city secured the ninth position, while in 2022-23, it stood in the tenth spot. Hyderabad City has also received a seven-star rating in the Swachh Survekshan Survey for its garbage-free city status, making it the first and only city in Telangana to achieve this distinction. Hyderabad has also been re-certified as a 'Water Plus' city for the fourth consecutive year. Hyderabad was ranked sixth among the Million Plus Cities, those with a population of over 10 lakhs. In seven out of eight categories, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) received 100 per cent marks. The categories - door-to-door collection of waste, waste generation & processing, cleanliness of residential areas, cleanliness of market areas, cleanliness of water bodies, and cleanliness of public toilets. It scored 93 per cent only in category source segregation. Moreover, the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) ranked first among all Cantonment Boards in the country and secured the 11th position in the national rankings in the medium cities' category with populations between 50,000 and 3 lakhs. Accordingly, GHMC received the 'State Level Award' as the most promising clean city of Telangana State, presented by Manohar Lal, during the 'Swachh Survekshan 2024 Awards Ceremony' at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The event was presided over by President Droupadi Murmu, and Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal, who presented the awards to the cleanest cities across India. The GHMC Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi extended her sincere congratulations to the GHMC Commissioner, relevant officers, staff, and sanitation workers who were instrumental in securing the award. 'This Swachh Survekshan Award has heightened our sense of responsibility. Motivated by this recognition, we will strive even harder to position Greater Hyderabad as a frontrunner in cleanliness, greenery, and health across the nation,' the Mayor said. She emphasized that this special recognition and award have been achieved thanks to the ongoing cleanliness initiatives by GHMC, the commitment of sanitation workers, and the support from the community.
New Indian Express
17-07-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Hyderabad gets its best-ever Swachh Survekshan rank; only city in Telangana with seven-star rating
HYDERABAD: Greater Hyderabad has been ranked the sixth cleanest city among more than 4,500 cities across the country, the best-ever ranking the city has received under the Swachh Survekshan (Sanitation Survey) Rankings. The rankings are conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under the Swachh Bharat Urban Mission (SBM), which is the world's largest urban sanitation and cleanliness survey. In 2023-24, the city secured the ninth position, while in 2022-23, it stood in the tenth spot. In a significant achievement, Greater Hyderabad has also received a seven-star rating in the Swachh Survekshan Survey for its garbage-free city status, making it the first and only city in Telangana to achieve this distinction. Hyderabad has also been re-certified as a "Water Plus" city for the fourth consecutive year.
