The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry of India has recently launched the ‘Swachh Survekshan 2020’, with the theme ‘Cleanliness is Our Right’. The initiatives, including the ‘Swachh Nagar App’, and Water plus (Water+) protocol are designed to significantly improve urban sanitation and waste management practices across Indian cities. The performance of these initiatives will be evaluated as part of the cleanliness rankings in the 2020 Swachh Survekshan.
The Swachh Nagar App: An Innovative Solution for Waste Management
The ‘Swachh Nagar App’ offers a practical solution for effective solid and wet waste management. By using this app, citizens are empowered to request a local civic body for waste pick-up after making an online payment. Moreover, the app allows the tracking of the waste-collection vehicle, ensuring the accountability of municipal corporations. Initially functional in Agra, Palwal, and Port Blair, the app is now available nationwide.
Water Plus Protocol: A Step Towards Sustainable Sanitation
The ministry has also introduced the Water plus protocol which aims at preventing untreated wastewater from being released into the environment. The protocol provides guidelines for towns and cities, focusing on achieving sustainable sanitation. To qualify for the ‘Water+’ tag, a city must ensure that it treats 100% of its wastewater and utilizes at least 10% of this treated wastewater.
mSBM App: Ensuring Prudent Use of Funds
In addition to the aforementioned initiatives, the ministry also launched the mSBM app – a mechanism aimed at monitoring the utilization of funds allocated to beneficiaries of the Swachh Bharat Mission for constructing toilets. Through this app, the government can confirm if the first instalment of the funds was used appropriately before releasing the second one. The app also facilitates the applicants to know the status of their application in real-time and upload relevant photographs.
Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM-U)
Launched on October 2, 2014, the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban aims at making urban India free from open defecation and achieve 100% scientific management of municipal solid waste. The mission focuses on eliminating open defecation, eradicating manual scavenging, encouraging modern waste management practices, promoting healthy sanitation practices, and boosting the capacity of Urban Local Bodies.
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Household Toilets | Includes conversion of insanitary latrines into pour-flush latrines. |
| Community Toilets | Shared sanitary facilities for groups of families or a neighborhood |
| Public Toilets | Publicly accessible toilets in areas with high footfall. |
| Solid Waste Management | Scientific and systematic handling and disposal of solid waste. |
| Public Awareness | Spreading awareness about sanitation and its linkage with public health. |
| Capacity Building | Augmenting the capability of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). |
Achievements of the SBM-U Program
As of August 2019, 24 Indian states and over 3,800 cities have been certified as Open Defecation-Free (ODF), indicating the success of the initiative. Moreover, more than 98% of the toilet construction targets set by the mission have been met, marking a significant step towards achieving total sanitation.