Mumbai ranked 49th nationally and 11th in Maharashtra in the Swachh Survekshan 2019, a steep drop from 2018, when it had ranked 18 and bagged the award for the cleanest State capital.
There was one saving grace, however, as Mumbai was judged as the best capital city in the ‘innovation and best practices’ category. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was commended for the toilet on Marine Drive inaugurated last month, which has innovative practices such as the use of solar panels, and the waste-to-energy plant at Pali Hill.
The cleanliness survey was conducted in 4,237 cities from January 4 to 31. Mumbai scored 3,276.84 out of 5,000 as opposed to 3,175 out of 4,000 in 2018.
The BMC said the key reason for the drop in ranking was that it did not charge citizens for providing solid waste management services, as is the practice in the many best performing cities. Officials said they also lost points in the citizen feedback category, with a drop from 86% in 2018 to 68% in 2019. This category was the only area where the city’s score of 848 out of 1,250 was lower than the State average of 921.
Activists, meanwhile, said such surveys do not reflect the ground reality. Godfrey Pimenta, lawyer and activist, said schemes like the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan are an “opportunity for photo shoots”. “These initiatives are often kept in posh localities. There is a vast difference between south Mumbai and the suburbs, which often get a step-motherly treatment,” he said.
Hina Shroff, a civic activist, said the onus should be both on the government and people. “In my area, I see that the BMC’s workers don’t work properly. I have also complained to the conservancy department. While the government needs to provide enough dustbins at places, people must realize that the waste should belong inside the bins and not on the road,” she said.
