HYDERABAD: As many four urban local bodies, including the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), are expecting to win awards in the Swachh Survekshan 2023. The awards will be presented by President Droupadi Murmu on January 11 in New Delhi.
While the GHMC is hoping for a five-star rating under the Garbage Free Cities category, three other ULBs — Nizampet, Siddipet and Gundla Pochampally — expect to receive awards in different categories. These four ULBs have received invitations to the award ceremony, which will be organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
After two years of being 3-Star, the GHMC officially applied for a five-star rating in the Star Rating for Garbage Free Cities and is also seeking water plus re-certification for 2023. The evaluation process involved a comprehensive third-party inspection of GHMC, conducted over 10 days from December 9. The results of this assessment are slated to be disclosed on January 11 by the MoHUA.
The Swachh Survekshan - 2023 provides city rankings, distinguishing between those with populations exceeding one lakh (national ranking) and those below one lakh (state and zonal rankings).The survey aims to promote widespread citizen participation and raise awareness across society about the collective responsibility of enhancing the quality of life in towns and cities. The star rating protocol builds on aspirations of cities to progress towards higher standards of “Swachhata”, according to a release.
Meanwhile, a city, ward, circle or zone can be declared as ‘Water Plus’ provided yjay all waste water released from households, commercial establishments, drains and nala, among others, is treated to a satisfactory level (as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) norms), before releasing the treated wastewater to the environment.
