The Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) was awarded for excellence in solid waste management and the adoption of innovative best practices, including door-to-door waste collection, source segregation, processing and disposal of waste and community engagement.
Hyderabad: Hyderabad has won three national honours in the latest Swachh Survekshan Rankings (SSR) by the ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA). The GHMC received two awards — the 7-Star Garbage Free City (GFC) rating and the Water+ Certification — while the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) was recognised for its sanitation efforts.
This marks the first time Hyderabad has been awarded the 7-Star GFC rating. In previous years, the city was rated as a 3-Star city under SSR 2023 and a 2-Star in SSR 2022. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U), cities are rated from one to seven star, with higher ratings indicating stronger performance. Among cities with a population over 10 lakh, only three have achieved 7-Star status — Hyderabad is now one of them.
The GFC assessment takes into account parameters such as citizen engagement, solid waste management and visible cleanliness. The GFC component carries 1,300 marks out of the total 12,500. Additionally, 10,000 marks are awarded based on 10 parameters, including segregation, door-to-door collection, transportation and processing of waste and visible cleanliness.
Hyderabad also received the Water+ Certification, which measures how cities manage untreated wastewater and faecal sludge. The establishment of sewage treatment plants (STPs) by the state government, executed by the HMWS&SB, contributed significantly to this recognition. Although the initiative was executed by HMWS&SB, the award will be officially received by GHMC as the nodal agency.
The SCB was awarded for excellence in solid waste management and the adoption of innovative best practices, including door-to-door waste collection, source segregation, processing and disposal of waste and community engagement.
Final rankings for urban local bodies (ULBs) under SSR 2024 will be released this week, based on the total score out of 12,500. Cities have been grouped into population categories ranging from under 20,000 to over 10 lakh, with Hyderabad falling into the latter. The rankings also factor in the overall welfare of sanitation workers, which carries 500 marks.
