Highlights
- Indore has focused on public sanitation to retain its number 1 ranking
- Navi Mumbai reducing its garbage generation may push it to number 1 rank
- Mysuru witnessed large scale citizen led cleanliness campaigns
New Delhi: From January to March 2018, civic bodies across India’s 4,203 cities were busy in a bid to improve the cleanliness conditions of their respective cities, to make a mark in Swachh Survekshan 2018. The months of preparation for the Survekshan and strenuous wait is officially about to come to an end, as the results of the survey are scheduled to be declared on May 16, by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. While the number of cities participating in this year’s Survekshan is nearly 10 times more than last year’s 434, many top performers of previous years are vying for the title of India’s cleanest city.
Indore: Cleanest City Of India 2017
Indore, India’s cleanest city last year has been working towards retaining its number one rank. The city introduced colour coded dustbins for waste segregation and in 2017, introduced a third bin for hazardous sanitary waste. The city also has a decentralised waste management system in place which treats nearly 1,100 metric tonnes of waste daily. Indore’s confidence of retaining its cleanest city tag also stems from the city’s efforts to sustain its open defecation free (ODF) status. Additional community and public toilets have been built in Indore. 300 roadside urinals have also been constructed, which are cleaned four times a day and a feedback system has been installed in all public toilets.
Bhopal: A Unique Campaign to Ensure Waste Collection
Bhopal, India’s second cleanest city in 2017 focused thoroughly on waste management throughout 2017 and is hopeful that it will gain the top spot. The Kabad Se Jugad campaign saw Bhopal Mayor Alok Sharma requesting citizens not to waste anything, even scrap, and rather use it to beautify the city. Emphasis on waste management, door-to-door collection and composting has made the city confident that it will go ahead by a rank this year to become India’s cleanest city.
Ujjain: The Challenger In Swachh Survekshan
Ujjain, ranked number 12 in Swachh Survekshan 2017, has put in major effort to aim for India’s cleanest city title. In January 2018, Ujjain’s Municipal Commissioner Vijay Kumar J kickstarted the city’s preparation for the Survekhshan by conducting a cycle rally. The city’s civic body has been instrumental since last year’s Swachh Survekshan rankings to focus more on garbage collection and waste management. Ujjain Municipal Corporation (UMC) has over 100 e-rickshaw mounted garbage collection vehicles which collect dry and wet waste from all over the city. Municipal Commissioner Mr Kumar said that the city had a tradition of improving its Swachh Survekshan rankings every year, and hence is hopeful of securing the number one rank this year.
Navi Mumbai: Will It Improve Its Swachh Ranking from Rank 8 to Rank 1?
Navi Mumbai, ranked 8th last year is confident that it will secure the top rank this year. Already segregating over 90 per waste, the city’s ‘My Waste My Responsibility’ campaign has struck a chord with the citizens. Through workshops and awareness campaigns, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has managed to lessen its daily garbage generation from 900 metric tonnes to 600 metric tonnes. The city will also soon install over 100 dustbins for electronic waste collection, and its rapid strides towards a garbage free city could be enough to push it towards the number one rank, said Municipal Commissioner Tushar Pawar.
Mysuru: The Challenges for the cleanest city of India 2016
Bagging the cleanest city title in the 2016 Swachh Survekshan, Mysuru’s rank had slipped slightly in 2017, as the city ranked number 5 out of 434 cities. Not giving up hope, Mysuru had doubled its efforts throughout 2017 to regain the top spot. Understanding the importance of citizen feedback in Swachh Survekshan 2018, Mysuru’s civic body organised for fortnightly cleanup campaigns, which witnessed citizen participation on a large scale. The civic body also released several short films, motivating the citizens to restore Mysuru’s rank as India’s cleanest city by maintaining their regular activities of keeping their surroundings clean, segregating waste and maintaining cleanliness of public toilets.
Given the increased competition in this year’s Swachh Survekshan, a few surprises in the top 10 or 20 are not unlikely. But the likes of Indore, Navi Mumbai and Mysuru are veterans not only in terms of participation in the Survekshan, but maintaining their erstwhile high ranks, so the number one rank being bestowed upon any of the above mentioned cities is a possibility.
