Bengaluru has secured the 125th ranking among the 446 cities which participated in the above one lakh population category in Swachh Survekshan – 2023, the annual cleanliness survey conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA).
The previous year, Bengaluru was included in the above 10 lakh population category and was awarded the 43rd rank among 45 cities. However, this year, the category has been eliminated. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials said that had that category existed this year, then the city’s scores would have landed it in the 31st rank.
The 125th ranking is the highest the BBMP has got in the above one lakh population category as in the previous years, the city’s average ranking was around 200.
For the rankings, each city was assessed on three parameters — service level progress, certification and citizens’ voice. In the first category, Bengaluru scored 2,805.32 marks out 4,830 while in the certification category, the city scored 1,125 out of 2,500 and in the citizens’ voice (feedback) category, 1,589.82 marks were secured out of 2,170. Out of 9,500 marks, Bengaluru secured 5,520.14 marks.
Highlights for the year
Under Swachh Survekshan, three certifications are given to each city if they meet the required criteria. BBMP officials regarded the upgradation of the BBMP from ODF++ (Open Defecation-Free) to Water Plus City as the remarkable difference this year under certification. This is the first time the city has secured this highest sanitation certification.
“Another major difference is the participation of the citizens in the survey under the citizens’ voice category. There is a jump of 30% in the parameter from 43% in the last year to 73% in the present year,” the officials said.
Infrastructure development essential for GFC certification
The BBMP had applied for the certification of Garbage-Free City (GFC) certification this year but could not get it as not all required parameters were met. “One of the most important criteria to get that certification is to have above 80% processing of waste. We are currently processing 2,500 tonnes of waste, but various strikes and media reports also kept us from getting the certification. We need cooperation from citizens too,” said Harish Kumar, Special Commissioner, Solid Waste Management (SWM), BBMP.
He stressed that more processing infrastructure should be developed in the city to improve processing and thereby also get the certification. “Our efforts have improved, but processing is our only grey area. If we do it well, then we will figure in the top 25. We currently have manure plants, but we should have more processing plants in the city like CNG, waste-to-energy, and biogas plants,” Mr. Kumar said.
SWM activist and Swachh Survekshan adviser to the BBMP V. Ramprasad pointed out that more care should be taken in the clearance of construction and demolition (C and D) waste. “This time, the BBMP’s documentation improved, and they had a well-oiled internal team (unlike the previous years where they had consultants) and it has shown in the results. However, a good system in place to clear C and D waste would further help in getting good rankings,” he said.
