India’s rapid urbanisation and burgeoning population have greatly increased the challenges of Sanitation and Municipal Solid Waste Management. In 2014, only 19 percent of the waste generated in the country was treated, the remaining was dumped in landfill sites creating huge problems for the environment. As of 2009 India had the capacity to treat about 30 percent of the total sewage generated of which only 22 percent was actually being treated, the rest was being dumped in water bodies. This has grave implications especially where faecal sludge is being dumped.
On 2nd October 2014, on Mahatma Gandhi’s 145th birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), a mass movement with the objective of achieving a Clean India by 2nd October 2019, the Mahatma’s 150th birth anniversary. The urban component of the mission – Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) is being driven by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA), and has the following broad objectives:
All statutory towns in Urban India to become Open Defecation Free (ODF)
100 per cent Scientific Management of Municipal Solid Waste in all statutory towns.
To bring sustained behavioural change and widespread awareness regarding healthy sanitation practices
However, the journey of Swachhata has only begun. Together, we will continue to ensure that the gains made under the current SBM-U are sustained, by channelizing the momentum created around Swachhata.
Purpose of the Mission: To bridge the gaps pertaining to safe sanitation and effective waste management in order to
Swachh Survekshan
Star rating protocol for Garbage Free Cities
ODF/ODF+/ODF++ Protocols
Development of a national MIS portal
Monthly video conferences with states
The Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) has led to various policy interventions for strengthening solid waste management and sanitation systems, to create markets for the by-products of waste management and bridge existing gaps in sanitation.
SBM-U has created a number of platforms for knowledge exchange and sharing of best practices for capacity building of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and city managers.
SBM-U is one of the largest urban sanitation behaviour change program in the world. The message of safe sanitation has been delivered to millions of urban Indians using convention and unconventional communication channels.
However, the major trigger for behaviour change has been the ownership that people from the community have taken when it comes to leading and sustaining change on the ground.
Swachhata App – a grievance redressal app for citizens to post their complaints related to city cleanliness has crossed 8 million downloads and clocked over 14 million citizen complaints with a resolution rate of over 90 per cent.
Helps citizens spot public toilets from any point in the city.
An online citizen engagement platform for citizens to showcase their volunteering activities and facilitate peer learning.
1969 Swachhata helpline launched to address citizens’ queries on issues related to the Mission