Hyderabad sixth cleanest city, bags 7-star garbage-free tag

HYDERABAD: The city has made significant strides in cleanliness, climbing from ninth to sixth place among 44 cities with a population of over a million in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 rankings, released under the Swachh Bharat Mission.

The city also earned the prestigious 7-star garbage-free certification.At the national level, Hyderabad ranks just behind Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Lucknow, Raipur, and Jabalpur, marking its best-ever performance since the formation of Telangana. In previous years, the city’s ranking hovered between 26 and 35, making this a significant leap forward.According to the ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA), Hyderabad scored 11,805 out of 12,500 points across three key areas — Swachh Survekshan assessment (phases I-IV), ODF (Open Defecation Free) and water plus status, and star rating for garbage-free cities.

The city was also recognised as the ‘Promising Swachh Shehar of the state’. A few months ago, the GHMC applied for the 7-star garbage-free city certification and water plus recertification as part of its push to boost rankings in this year’s Swachh Survekshan.

Speaking at the award ceremony on Thursday, where Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar presented the recognition, GHMC commissioner RV Karnan said, “In the coming days, we will focus on strengthening door-to-door collection.

This achievement is the result of consistent efforts by citizens and staff. We have progressed from last year’s 5-star rating and 9th rank to 7-star and 6th place — a sign of improvement.”

SCB recognised cleanest among 58 cantonments

The Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) has been recognised as the cleanest among 58 cantonments in the country for its efforts in solid waste management and the implementation of innovative best practices under Swachh Survekshan 2024-25.The SCB secured 11th position in medium cities category (50,0003 lakh population) at the national level, and ranked second within the state after Greater Hyderabad. Additionally, it received a three-star certification for being a garbage-free city and earned water++ status in the ODF classification. Under solid waste management, SCB initiated doorto-door garbage collection in all wards with 95 GPS-enabled garbage collection vehicles for daily monitoring and tracking of waste collection.As part of Swachh Survekshan, the board revived Ramannakunta Lake through desilting, garbage removal, and inlet purification and planted over 15,000 saplings in the past two years across public spaces, parks, lake fronts, and school campuses.Officials said the award highlights dedication to building a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable environment for its residents and sanitation workforce alike.