The New Indian Express | Swachh Survekshan: Alappuzha ranked best small city in innovations but Kerala fares poor overall

Aug 20,2020

Alappuzha municipality was recognised as the best small city in 'Innovations and Best Practices ' for decentralised wastewater treatment in Swachh Survekshan 2020, the central government's annual survey on cleanliness under the Swachh Bharat Mission.

The announcement, which was made in New Delhi on Thursday, was the only takeaway for Kerala in the national ranking of best cities in India on cleanliness. The results were announced by Union Housing Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in a virtual press conference. The survey covered 4,242 cities and saw the participation of 1.87 crore citizens, was completed in 28 days.

Alappuzha, which won in the category of cities with a 1-3 lakh population, was selected for its decentralised waste management for the last four years. "Known as Venice of East in the state of Kerala and having a legacy of successfully practicing decentralised solid waste management for the last four years, Alappuzha has taken a step in the direction of liquid waste management by working towards mitigating pollution of canals," said the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Alappuzha's Decentralised Waste Water Treatment System (DEWATS) project is to avoid the flow of polluted water into the canal. The system includes individual toilet facility for each house and a centralised water treatment system. 

As far as overall ranking is concerned for states with 100 Urban Local Bodies, Kerala is ranked at 15th places, the lowest rank.

Alappuzha, which was the top-ranked in Kerala, was ranked at 152nd place nationally. Other cities in Kerala too fared poorly compared to other cities in the country. Thiruvananthapuram was ranked at 304, followed by Palakkad (335th rank) and Kollam (352nd rank). Other cities are Kottayam (355), Kozhikode (361), Thrissur (366), and Kochi (372).