Introduction

Surat in Gujarat and Indore in Madhya Pradesh have been jointly recognized as the cleanest cities in India at the Union Urban Affairs Ministry’s annual Clean City Awards 2023.

About Swachh Survekshan

Swachh Survekshan, initiated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in 2016, serves as a competitive framework to promote urban sanitation improvements and citizen participation.
Over time, Swachh Survekshan has grown to become the world’s largest urban sanitation survey.
In the 2023 edition (SS 2023), emphasis is placed on source segregation of waste, increasing cities’ waste processing capacity, and reducing waste sent to dumpsites.
SS 2023 introduces new indicators with added importance, focusing on phased plastic reduction, enhanced plastic waste management, “waste to wonder” parks, and zero-waste events.
The ranking of wards within cities is encouraged through SS 2023.
The survey assesses cities on dedicated indicators addressing issues such as ‘Open Urination’ (Yellow Spots) and ‘Open Spitting’ (Red Spots).

Top Rankings: Surat and Indore shared the top spot, with Navi Mumbai securing the third position in the cleanest cities category.
Indore’s Continued Success: Remarkably, Indore has maintained its status as the cleanest city for the seventh consecutive year.
Other Top Cities: The list of the top 10 cleanest cities also includes Greater Visakhapatnam, Bhopal, Vijayawada, New Delhi, Tirupati, Greater Hyderabad, and Pune.

Maharashtra Leads: In the state rankings, Maharashtra emerged as the top performer, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Smaller Cities and Cantonnement Boards: In cities with a population of less than one lakh, Sasvad and Lonavala in Maharashtra, and Patan in Chhattisgarh, were top performers. Mhow Cantonment Board in Madhya Pradesh was recognized as the cleanest cantonment board.
Cleanest Ganga Towns: Varanasi and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh won awards for being the cleanest towns along the Ganga river.

Swachh Survekshan Awards: Initiated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in 2016, these awards have become the world’s largest urban sanitation survey.
Themes: The 2023 survey focused on the theme “Waste to Wealth,” while the upcoming 2024 survey will emphasize “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.”

Leap in Rankings: Indore’s remarkable journey from ranking 25th in 2016 to consistently holding the top position is noteworthy.
Key Factors for Success: The city’s success is attributed to a sustainable system of garbage collection, processing, and disposal, along with citizen participation and innovative sanitation measures.

Waste Segregation and Disposal: Indore revamped its sanitation and waste collection system, involving NGOs and changing routes for garbage disposal vehicles.
Legacy Waste Management: The city efficiently cleared and treated large amounts of legacy waste at the Devguradiya ground.
Infrastructure Development: Funds were allocated for constructing transfer stations and treatment plants for waste management.
Community Engagement: Efforts were made to build sanitation habits among citizens, including the distribution of free dustbins and imposing fines for littering.