Indore, India’s cleanest city, becomes the first water plus city in country

Hailed as India’s cleanest city for years, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, has been declared as the country’s first ‘water plus’ city under the Swachh Survekshan 2021, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Wednesday.

He said Indore, the state’s commercial capital, has set an example for other cities.

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“Heartiest congratulations to the citizens of Indore as it becomes the first SBM (Swachh Bharat Mission) Water+ certified city under #SwachhSurvekshan2021. Indore has been an example for the whole nation for its determination and dedication towards cleanliness. May it continue to bring glory to the state,” Chouhan said in a tweet.

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Swachh Survekshan is an annual survey of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation in cities and towns across India launched as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Informing about the work done to achieve this tag, Indore district collector Manish Singh said, “According to the guidelines of Water Plus Protocol of Swachh Survekshan, 1,746 public and 5,624 domestic sewer outfalls in 25 small and big nullahs were tapped by the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) which also freed the city’s Kanh and Saraswati rivers from sewer lines.” Indore civic commissioner Pratibha Pal informed that seven sewerage treatment plants were constructed in the city and about 110 million litres per day (MLD) treated water from them is being used.

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“According to the guidelines of Water Plus Protocol, 147 special types of urinals were constructed in the city. Besides, the work of cleaning ponds, wells and all water bodies has also been done,” she added.

What is a Water Plus city?

A part of the Swachh Bharat Mission launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015, the Water Plus certificate is given to a city for maintaining cleanliness in rivers and drains under its administration.

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In May 2020, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs announced the SBM Water Plus Protocol. It said,” A city/ward/circle/zone can be declared as Water Plus provided all wastewater released from households, commercial establishments, drains, nallahs etc. is treated to a satisfactory level (as per CPCB norms), before releasing the treated wastewater to the environment. Further, adequate capacity of wastewater and sewage treatment facilities is to be ensured. The infrastructure should be maintained properly and cost recovery is ensured through reuse/recycling of treated wastewater to ensure sustainability.”

Its criteria,15 points, included a minimum of 25 % wastewater being reused after treatment at city level viz horticulture, agriculture, industrial use, cleaning roads and sufficient septage treatment facility available in the city. 

“As Swachh Bharat Mission has progressed significantly, it is imperative that progress attained in achieving our objectives be sustained financially and in an environmentally feasible manner. Cities are now working towards sustainability of sanitation status, by ensuring that no untreated wastewater is discharged into the open environment,” the government said.