In the Swachh Survekshan, the central government’s cleanliness survey, Haridwar, one of the most ancient holy cities, was named the cleanest Ganga town with a population of more than one lakh people. Varanasi and Rishikesh finished second and third, respectively. Devlali in Maharashtra has been recognised as having the cleanest cantonment board.
Bijnor was ranked the first among Ganga towns with fewer than one lakh population followed by Kannauj and Garhmukteshwar respectively. The survey, the government said, was “undertaken to measure the cleanliness in and around Ghats”. It was executed using the direct observation method, and focused on eight major parameters.
The seventh edition of the Swachh Survekshan was held to assess the progress of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) and rank Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) on various cleanliness and sanitation parameters. The Survekshan has grown from a survey of 73 cities in 2016 to a survey of 4,354 cities this year. “Swachh Survekshan 2022 has managed to accomplish the assessment of 4,354 cities (Including 62 Cantonment Boards and 91 Ganga Towns),” the ministry of housing and urban affairs said.
President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday gave the awards to the winners. The event was also attended by union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
What is Swachh Survekshan?
Since 2016, the ministry of housing and urban affairs has been conducting the Swachh Survekshan, dubbed the “world’s largest urban sanitation and cleanliness survey.”
Swachh Survekshan has been instrumental in fostering a culture of healthy competition among towns and cities in order to improve service delivery to residents and build cleaner communities. Its goal is to encourage widespread citizen participation and raise awareness among all segments of society about the importance of working together to make towns and cities more livable.
