Bengaluru secures 43rd position in Swachh Survekshan ranking

Last year, Bengaluru ranked 28th among 48 cities that had more than 10 lakh population. It had scored 3,585.56 points out of 6,000

Non-possession of two certifications and delay in furnishing quarterly details by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) proved dear for Bengaluru in the Swachh Survekshan rating 2022 that was released on Saturday by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

The city managed to secure the 43rd national rank by scoring 2,892.98 out of 7500. Bengaluru was one among the 45 cities with a population of above 10 lakh that was surveyed for ranking. Last year, Bengaluru ranked 28th among 48 cities that had more than 10 lakh population. It had scored 3,585.56 points out of 6,000.

Interestingly, the BBMP did not meet the criteria on Garbage Free Cities certificate and Water Plus (treatment of sewage and re-use of wastewater), and hence, did not apply for the certification. The only certification the BBMP had was on Open Defecation Free (ODF). Because of this, out of 2250 marks for certification, the BBMP scored only 600. Not providing quarterly details on “service level progress” as mandated by the Ministry also resulted in poor scoring. Out of the 3,000 scores, the BBMP scored 1309.61. In the “citizen voice”, the BBMP scored 983.37 marks out of 2250 marks.

The citizen voice results shows the BBMP received poor grades in cleanliness of public toilets, while the citizen redressal system still remains a major concern and cleanliness of drains is not satisfactory. The BBMP has received good scores for non-availability of open garbage dumps, daily sweeping of residential areas, cleanliness of market areas, segregated door to door collections and others.

Special Commissioner of BBMP Harish Kumar said, “This time, the marking parameters have been changed while giving the ranking. Bengaluru had to compete with other cities that have more than a 10 lakh population, whereas earlier we were competing with mega cities. We could not compete with two certification categories as we were not eligible. Due to issues with a consultancy that was roped in to furnish details to the ministry on a quarterly basis, we lost marks. When it comes to public opinion, the BBMP has scored good marks in various categories. However, in future, we will address the issues and fare well in the ranking.”

Reacting to the ranking, citizen activist V. Ramaprasad said, “The BBMP should have a robust internal team to better the Swachh Survekshan ranking instead of employing private consultancies that have a conflict of interest. The Swachh Survekashan is a year-long exercise and close follow-up is needed. When it comes to citizen’s voice, the BBMP has to fix all the shortcomings and address the issues faced by the citizens. I also say Bengaluru, which has over 1.2 crore population, competing with the cities that have over 10 lakh population cannot be fair competition.”  

Mysuru city has been ranked the cleanest among the medium-sized cities in the country with a population between 3 lakh and 10 lakh as per the Swachh Survekshan ranking for 2022 announced on Saturday.