Odisha’s sanitation gains put household waste segregation in focus

Odisha’s latest sanitation honours celebrate Puri, Asika and Bhubaneswar—but the rankings rest on more than municipal operations.

Odisha’s Swachh Survekshan 2025–26 results have recognised three urban local bodies, with Puri Municipal Corporation securing first place nationally among coastal towns, Asika Municipality ranking second in its population category and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation receiving the State First Swachh City honour.

From round-the-clock Rath Yatra cleanups and waste-to-compost centres to planned biogas plants, the state’s model depends on residents sorting waste at home.

President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards at the 10th Swachh Survekshan ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. Asika retained its second place among towns with 20,000–50,000 people. In the previous edition, Bhubaneswar ranked ninth nationally among cities with populations of 3–10 lakh, while Asika and Chikiti placed second and third in their category.

Puri’s award follows sanitation operations during this year’s Rath Yatra, when heavy rain coincided with large crowds. Nearly 1,600 workers operated in round-the-clock shifts. The municipal corporation deployed 153 vehicles, cleared nearly 2,500 tonnes of waste and restored the Grand Road after major festival events.

Puri has about three lakh residents and receives another one lakh visitors and devotees on a typical day. Odisha’s sanitation model includes door-to-door collection and municipal Wealth Centres, where kitchen waste is converted into compost and dry material sorted for recycling. Women’s self-help groups, transgender community members and waste pickers help run the centres. The GARIMA initiative focuses on sanitation workers’ safety and dignity.

Residents are being encouraged to separate kitchen scraps from clean, dry recyclables, reduce food waste, compost where possible and use reusable bags and bottles. They should follow municipal instructions for sanitary waste, batteries and broken glass, and hand segregated waste to collection teams. The awards recognise civic efforts, but household participation remains central to keeping neighbourhoods clean.