It is my privilege to stand before you today to discuss an initiative that is close to every

citizen’s heart: the Swachh Bharat Mission, with a special focus on its urban facets. Our
cities are the engines of economic growth and cultural transformation, but they are also
facing increasing pressure on their sanitation and waste management infrastructure.
Today, we will dive deeper into the urban elements of this mission, emphasizing
Sustainable Sanitation, Waste/Water and Solid Waste Management, and the aspirational
goal of Garbage-Free Cities.

FIRSTLY, STARTING WITH SUSTAINABLE SANITATION

Sustainable Sanitation: Building Healthy

Foundations for Urban Living
As urban populations grow, so does the strain on sanitation facilities. Sustainable
sanitation is not just about building toilets or ensuring sewage connectivity, but about
creating systems that can handle waste efficiently, sustainably, and with long-term
environmental benefits.

Sanitation must be equitable—reaching slums, informal settlements, and underdeveloped

neighborhoods. Here, the government has focused not only on building millions of
individual household toilets but also on community and public toilets in urban centers
where access is limited. However, the challenge does not end there. Ensuring that these
facilities remain functional, clean, and accessible is crucial. Operation and Maintenance
(O&M) is the key to their sustainability.

Moreover, technology is playing an increasingly important role. Smart toilets, bio-digesters,

and decentralized wastewater treatment systems are innovative solutions that are being
deployed in urban areas. These technologies can convert human waste into biogas,
fertilizer, or even into energy. This transforms sanitation from a basic need into a circular
resource system—where waste is not just disposed of, but re-utilized productively.

However, building toilets is just the first step. Ensuring that these sanitation facilities are
properly maintained and integrated into broader sewage and waste management systems
is crucial for sustainability. For instance, according to the National Faecal Sludge and
Septage Management Policy, only 30% of India’s urban population has access to proper
sewerage systems. This has led to the expansion of faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTPs),
which are critical for the proper disposal of human waste, especially in cities where
traditional sewer networks are limited.

Data from the Swachh Bharat Urban Dashboard indicates that nearly 99% of Indian cities
are now declared open defecation free (ODF). However, the mission has evolved to focus
on ODF++, which ensures the safe collection, transportation, and treatment of faecal
sludge.

NOW, LET’S TALK ABOUT WASTE AND WATER MANAGEMENT

Waste/Water and Solid Waste Management:

Closing the Loop
Moving on to waste and water management, we must address the rising concerns of urban
waste. Cities generate massive amounts of solid waste, liquid waste, and e-waste, making
effective waste management a critical challenge.

A major focus of the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban (SBM-U) is to implement an integrated
waste management system. This system ensures that waste is segregated at source into
wet, dry, and hazardous categories. The use of colored bins for households and public
places is one of the simplest, yet most effective, interventions. Once segregated, waste
can be recycled, composted, or processed for energy recovery.

Take, for example, the process of composting—which converts organic waste into valuable
compost that can enrich urban green spaces or agricultural land. Some cities have
introduced decentralized composting systems in neighborhoods, reducing the burden on
large landfills and contributing to local gardening or farming efforts. This simple process
prevents organic waste from ending up in landfills, where it would otherwise decompose
and produce harmful methane gases.

Wastewater management is equally important in urban sanitation. Currently, many Indian

cities struggle with untreated sewage flowing into rivers and lakes. The Swachh Bharat
mission has introduced decentralized wastewater treatment plants (DEWATS) that clean
water at the local level, reducing contamination. In some areas, greywater recycling is
being promoted, where water from sinks, showers, and laundries is treated and reused for
non-potable purposes such as landscape irrigation or flushing toilets. This conserves
precious freshwater resources and minimizes the environmental impact of water misuse.

The ultimate vision of solid waste management is to reduce, reuse, and recycle. The
mission has encouraged citizens to see waste as a potential resource. Waste-to-energy
projects, where non-recyclable waste is used to produce electricity, are rapidly gaining
traction in cities like Delhi, Pune, and Hyderabad. These not only help reduce the burden on
landfills but also address the energy needs of urban centers.

The government has also set ambitious targets to treat 100% of wastewater by 2025 in
major urban centers. For instance, the Namami Gange program, which runs in parallel with
Swachh Bharat, is working to restore the Ganga and its tributaries by ensuring that no
untreated sewage is discharged into the rivers.

LASTLY, GARBAGE FREE CITIES

Garbage-Free Cities: Aiming for a Zero-Waste

Future
The dream of Garbage-Free Cities lies at the heart of the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban. It is
a holistic approach to zero-waste cities, where no garbage is seen on streets, drains are
unclogged, and urban spaces are visually and functionally clean.

The concept of Garbage-Free Cities is based on a hierarchy of waste management—

starting with waste minimization, followed by efficient waste collection, processing, and
finally scientific disposal of any residual waste.

One of the most impactful initiatives under this mission is the Star Rating Protocol for
Garbage-Free Cities. It’s a framework that grades cities on their cleanliness levels and
helps them achieve the goal of zero garbage on streets and public places. The star-rating
system works on a scale from 1 to 7, with seven stars being the highest achievement. A city
must meet strict criteria related to solid waste management, citizen participation,
cleanliness of public places, and the elimination of open dumping and littering.
However, achieving a garbage-free city is not just about government action. It requires
collaborative efforts from citizens, municipal bodies, and private organizations. Citizens
need to take ownership of their surroundings, whether it's through community clean-up
drives, source segregation, or practicing responsible waste disposal.

CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban has sparked a clean revolution across
India's cities, making significant progress in the areas of sustainable sanitation, waste and
water management, and working towards garbage-free cities. But the work is far from over.

The mission’s success will ultimately depend on our collective efforts—governments, local
bodies, private sector partners, and most importantly, us, the citizens. Every small action,
whether it’s segregating waste at home, using public sanitation facilities responsibly, or
participating in clean-up drives, contributes to a cleaner and healthier urban India.

With continued efforts, data-driven decision-making, and active public participation, the
dream of a garbage-free, sustainable, and healthy India can become a reality.