The heritage and tourist city of Mysuru was dethroned from being the cleanest city in the country, a tag it bagged for two consecutive years, to be ranked the 5th cleanest city in the Swachh Survekshan 2017, the results of which were announced in New Delhi on Thursday.
Mysuru was ranked the cleanest among the 73 cities with a population of 10 lakh and above that were surveyed last year as against 434 towns and cities that were part of the Swachh Survekshan 2017. Incidentally, no other city from Karnataka has figured in the top 50 clean cities this year.
The Quality Council of India surveyed the 434 cities and towns which account for almost 60 per cent of the country’s urban population and the survey entailed eliciting public feedback besides spot visits. The QCI team had surveyed nearly 30 public places in the city including community toilets, slums and residential areas apart from places of worship.
The contest was more intense this year as cities and towns with a population of one lakh and above were in the race. The city generates 402 tons of garbage of which 200 tons are converted to compost and 80 tons are treated by the 10 zero-waste management centres which are in place. The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) on its part had taken up solid waste management seriously with focus on segregating the waste at source, proper disposal and creating permanent infrastructure to treat the wastes. However, a section of the public and the NGOs had aired their scepticism about the previous year’s ranking though it was relative and wanted the city authorities to do more.
In the meantime, two additional solid waste treatment plants are coming up each with a capacity to handle 200 tons of garbage and will meet the future requirements of the city.
