Hyderabad gets its best-ever Swachh Survekshan rank; only city in Telangana with seven-star rating
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.
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Hindustan Times
14 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Swachh Survekshan 2024: After dismal 219 rank, Panchkula turns to Indore to clean up its act
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The Hindu
a day ago
- 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. 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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.
Mint
2 days ago
- Mint
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At 87, when most choose rest and retirement, Inderjit Singh Sidhu chooses public service, with a broom and a garbage bag in hand. A retired Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Punjab Police, Sidhu superannuated in 1996. Nearly three decades later, he's still serving, this time, by cleaning up his neighbourhood in Chandigarh's Sector 49. Every morning at 6 am, Sidhu sets out to collect litter from the streets, disturbed by the daily sight of garbage piling up in the area. Sidhu, who lives in the IAS-IPS Officers' Cooperative Society, said he repeatedly complained to civic authorities, but no action followed. 'So I decided to do it myself,' he told ANI. 'There is no shame in cleaning. Cleanliness is next to godliness.' Sidhu, a 1964-batch IPS officer, now uses a bag or even an abandoned rickshaw to gather waste and dispose of it properly. What began as a solo effort has slowly turned into a neighbourhood movement: one that his family and fellow residents now support. While some initially called him 'crazy,' his quiet determination has changed minds. Upset that Chandigarh doesn't always top the Swachh Survekshan rankings, it came second in 2024-25, Sidhu says the 'City Beautiful' should aim for the number one spot. 'If you visit foreign countries, their streets are spotless. Why can't ours be the same?' he said. Though he calls his contribution a small one, Sidhu says it brings him deep satisfaction. 'I like a clean place, so I clean. I'll keep doing it as long as I can.' Industrialist Anand Mahindra, in his recent tweet, also praised Sidhu's powerful act of service. Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra wrote on X (formerly Twitter), 'He says he wasn't happy with the 'low rank' Chandigarh got in the Swachh Survekshan listing,' Mahindra posted. 'But instead of complaining, he chooses action...a quiet, persistent belief in a better doesn't retire. Service doesn't age.' He further added: 'Apparently, every morning at 6 am, in the quiet streets of Chandigarh's Sector 49, this 88-year-old retired police officer begins his day in service. Each piece of trash he clears is more than just litter removed. It's a statement… a belief in living with meaning, regardless of age or recognition.'
