City improves its Swachh ranking to 30th, achieves Water+ certification

Amritsar has registered a little improvement in its cleanliness ranking at the national level, securing 30th position in the latest Swachh Survekshan 2024-25. This marks a two-rank jump compared to last year’s position, reflecting small efforts by the MC in areas of sanitation and waste management.

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The Swachh Survekshan is conducted annually by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), evaluating the cleanliness standards of cities across India. Amritsar participates in the category of cities with a population exceeding 10 lakh. Over the past five years, Amritsar’s ranking has gradually improved.

In 2019-20, the city was placed at 39th rank, followed by 34th in 2020-21, and 32nd in 2021-22. However, in 2022-23, after a change in the ranking methodology that compared cities with populations above one lakh, Amritsar slipped to 142nd position out of 446 cities. With renewed focus and strategic interventions, the city regained momentum and improved its position to 30th in 2024-25.

Alongside its rise in the cleanliness rankings, Amritsar has also achieved the Water+ certification. This certification is awarded to cities that successfully manage their wastewater, ensuring that no untreated water is discharged into the environment and that recycled wastewater is reused effectively.

Municipal Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh attributed this achievement to regular sanitation drives, better waste disposal systems, increased public participation and the adoption of modern waste management practices. He emphasised that achieving the Water+ certification is a significant step towards sustainable urban sanitation.

Dr Kiran Kumar, MC Health Officer, said efforts will continue to focus on improving sanitation infrastructure and strengthening community participation to achieve even higher rankings in future surveys.