Sanitation record not so clean

Findings of a Union Urban Development Ministry survey on where Indian cities stand on safe sanitation practices reveal some grim figures.

Findings of a Union Urban Development Ministry survey on where Indian cities stand on safe sanitation practices reveal some grim figures.

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A majority of the 423 cities that were rated on various sanitation parameters like absence of visible open defecation, proportion of total human excreta generation that is safely collected, proportion of treated wastewater that is recycled, etc. have been found wanting on various counts.

Chandigarh has topped the list, while Churu in Rajasthan is at the bottom.

While the survey did not find a single city which got a “green stamp”, (clean and healthy), 190 cities — a bulk of them in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh — are on the brink of public health and environmental emergency.

Delhi’s report card is equally disappointing. Ninety-six per cent of Delhi — that falls under the jurisdiction of Municipal Corporation of Delhi — has been put under the black category, which means it needs considerable improvement. New Delhi Municipal Council , however, is fourth in the ranking and has been put under the blue category.