Dehradun, July 17:
The Swachh Survekshan 2024 rankings have revealed a reshuffling of Uttarakhand's cleanliness leaderboard, with 107 cities, towns, and cantonment areas evaluated under the nationwide sanitation survey.
The biggest jolt? Dehradun, which topped the state in 2023, has now slipped to 13th place—surpassed by several smaller towns in both marks and public perception.
Despite campaign against plastic and trash, but results were not reflected in survey.
Lalkuan, Rudrapur, Mussoorie, Doiwala, and Pithoragarh have taken the top five spots across the state, reflecting improved solid waste management, sanitation systems, and community engagement.
Dehradun, despite being the state capital and a Municipal Corporation, was outperformed by smaller towns like Bhimtal, Bhowali, Chinyalisaur, Vikasnagar, and Barkot.
On the other end of the spectrum, the bottom five performers in this year’s survey are Ghansali, Padli Gujjar, Rampur, Piran Kaliyar, and Nainital Cantonment—tagged as the dirtiest towns in Uttarakhand due to poor waste handling and sanitation indicators.
Cleanliness expert and SDC Foundation president Anoop Nautiyal has urged caution against superficial comparisons.
“The Swachh Survekshan format is dynamic—it evolves every year,” Nautiyal said.
“In 2023, the survey was conducted out of 9,500 marks. This year, it’s out of 12,500, which is a 32% increase. So directly comparing scores from last year to this year would be misleading.”
Nautiyal also pointed out a key change in the population category under which towns were ranked.
“Last year, Dehradun was compared with cities in the 1–10 lakh population range.
This year, the grouping changed to 3–10 lakh.
Without knowing how many cities are in the new bracket, it's premature to conclude whether a city's ranking truly improved or deteriorated,” he added.
The 107 urban local bodies assessed include major cities like Haridwar, Roorkee, Haldwani-Kathgodam, Kashipur, Kotdwar, and Rishikesh, as well as smaller councils such as Jaspur, Manglaur, Sitarganj, Kichha, Tanakpur, Narendra Nagar, Tehri, Almora, Srinagar (Garhwal), Rudraprayag, Champawat, and Roorkee Rural.
Also evaluated were Nagar Panchayats like Dhari, Kotabagh, Kanda, Dwarikhal, Jakholi, Mori, Gangolihat, Munakot, Pati, Sult, Guptkashi, and Munshiyari, along with Dehradun and Nainital Cantonment Boards.
“This year’s results should be seen as a wake-up call, not a badge or a defeat,” Nautiyal said.
“Rather than manipulating data for political mileage, authorities should focus on data-driven strategies to improve urban sanitation.
Smaller towns have shown that it can be done with intent and community involvement.”
The Swachh Survekshan rankings, released annually by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under the Swachh Bharat Mission, are based on multiple parameters including service-level progress, citizen feedback, and field assessment.
Experts stress the need for transparency and honest communication of these results to the public.
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