Mangalore second cleanest city in Karnataka State
The Hindu
| Scores 57.34 per cent marks in city sanitation ranking |
Mangalore, 25 January 2011: Mangalore, with 57.34 per cent marks, is the second cleanest city in the State and the eighth cleanest in the country, according to a city sanitation ranking.
The ranking has been done as part of “Nirmal Shahar Puraskar”, a reward scheme for cities achieving sanitation outcomes. However, according to a colour code ranking, the city gets into the “black” (for marks between 34 and 66) category, which means “it needs considerable improvement.” The information was a part of a presentation made by Sneha, Senior Research Assistant, Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), Hyderabad, and resource person at a “City Sanitation Taskforce Workshop” organised in the city on Monday.
The participants of the workshop were councillors and the organisers were from ASCI, the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, Directorate of Municipal Administration, Government of Karnataka and City Managers’ Association, Karnataka.
In Karnataka, Mysore heads the list of top 10 cleanest cities with 70.65 marks out of 100.
The ranking was based on a set of parameters, including incidences of open defecation, working of sewerage systems, treatment, transport and disposal of sludge, underground and surface drainage systems functioning and maintenance, solid waste management, quality of drinking water in city and incidence of water-borne diseases amongst city population.
Mayor Rajani Dugganna said there was a need to improve sanitation.
Deputy Mayor B. Rajendra Kumar said an integrated policy was needed on health, drinking water and sanitation. He said there should be scientific disposal of water and it should be recycled.
Issues discussed
A discussion was held on city sanitation issues where Ranganath Kini, a whip in the City Corporation Council, spoke on solid waste management, including door-to-door collection, waste segregation, transportation, processing and disposal of waste.
Sudhir Shetty, chairman of Standing Committee on Town Planning and Improvement, spoke on sewerage system issues including leaving wastewater to drain, maintenance of well while Shantha R., Chairperson, Standing Committee for Public Health, Education and Social Justice, spoke on slum development including the need for basic facilities in slums.
India tops the list of top 10 nations that lack sanitary facilities, according to “The Science Monitor.” India has the world’s largest number of people who use toilets outdoors. Nearly 640 million Indians, or 54 per cent of the 1.1 billion population, lack access to toilets or other sanitation facilities.