Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Dec 13: The city has been considered by many as a clean, beautiful city which boasts of all the conveniences and is fit to be chosen by people who are looking for a good city to reside. However, as far as the national level ranking under the cleanliness survey under the Swachh Bharat Mission is concerned, its name is not found among the front runners. After the garbage crash tragedy in 2019 at the Pachanady dumping yard, the city has not been able to wriggle out of the tough situation and be reckoned as a leading city under the cleanliness criterion.

In The Swachh survey campaign in the year 2018-19, the city was hailed as the best medium size city with a population of between three and ten lac because of its best solid waste management. It had bagged the fifth rank and the survey report had mentioned that compared to other cities in the country, Mangaluru was handling its waste in a nice way. 80 percent of sorting of waste was being done at home, separate baskets for wet and dry wastes were being used, and 85 percent roads were found to be clean, were the highlights mentioned in the survey report. This had given a boost to cleanliness initiatives but the very next year of bagging this rank, the worst waste crash happened at Pachanady along with it the city's reputation reached the rock bottom.

After the tragedy, the city did not take part in the Swachh survey for a year. In 2020-21 it participated but it never looked like having any prospects of getting a rank. People coming from elsewhere continue to find the city clean and the waste is disposed of on a daily basis. But waste management is the area where the city has failed. The city will participate in the 2021-22 survey and if the people take interest, it can again be counted among the cleaner cities.

Some black spots have been identified in the city, but even after fixing CCTV cameras, people continue to throw garbage at these spots. On the other hand, herculean efforts made to stop those who have been in the habit of dumping their waste-filled plastic bags by the side of the highway have failed. These things have been proving to be the stumbling blocks in the efforts made by the city to get itself identified as a clean city.

City corporation commissioner Akshy Sridhar says that it is hoped that the city will be able to improve its cleanliness ranking in the coming days.