Under Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM-U) 2.0, Swachh Certification Protocols for (Open Defecation Free) ODF, ODF+, ODF++, and Water+ have been introduced under which the claims of the cities are verified by an independent third party.
Water+ certification protocol evaluates, inter-alia, that no untreated used water or faecal sludge is discharged into the environment/ water bodies and all used water (sewage & faecal sludge) is safely contained, transported, and treated, along with maximum reuse of treated used water. Till date 14 ULBs have been certified as Water+.
As informed by Central Ground Water Board, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) has been constituted under Section 3(3) of the “Environment (Protection) Act, 1986” for the purpose of regulation and control of ground water development and management in the Country.
The latest guidelines for control and regulation of groundwater extraction with pan-India applicability notified on 24 September 2020 provides that all Water Supply Agencies in urban areas in the states regulated by CGWA have to obtain No Objection Certificate from CGWA for Ground Water Extraction. So far, no incidence of erring Municipalities in this regard has been reported to CGWA.
A cleanliness survey called Swachh Survekshan (SS) is being carried out annually since 2016 to inculcate healthy competitive spirit amongst Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and States/Union Territory Administrations by awarding them rank.
From surveying 73 major cities in 2016 and 434 cities in 2017, the 7th edition of SS had 4,355 cities participating in the survey. The SS 2022 Ranking Result may be accessed at (https://sbmurban.org/ss-2022-result-dashboard)
