The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has received the national Swachhata Mentor City Award under Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 for helping transform Sanand’s sanitation systems. The award was presented by the President at a ceremony in Delhi on 11 November, according to a report by Sandesh.
The award recognises Ahmedabad’s role as a mentor city and its collaboration with Sanand, which was ranked 753rd nationally in the previous year’s cleanliness survey. The report said Sanand’s performance improved after receiving continued support and guidance from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, allowing the two cities to reach the top position jointly in the relevant category.
The recognition has also placed the work of sanitation employees at the centre of Ahmedabad’s civic achievement. The municipal administration welcomed 21 sanitation workers following the award ceremony and honoured three outstanding workers from every city ward with flowers and sweets.
Ahmedabad Mayor Hitesh Barot said sanitation employees begin work as early as 5 am, including during major festivals such as Diwali. He attributed the award to their consistent service and sustained effort in maintaining cleanliness across the city.
The civic body has around 12,000 sanitation workers, according to the report. Their responsibilities include daily waste collection, street cleaning and supporting the city’s waste-management systems. The municipality has also undertaken a campaign to collect wet and dry waste separately from households and process the two streams independently.
The report said Ahmedabad collects large quantities of waste every day and is managing it through scientific processing. Segregation and recycling of collected waste are intended to reduce the environmental burden and improve the recovery of usable material. The municipality described this approach as an effort to turn waste into value while maintaining environmental protection.
The award also highlights the administrative role that larger municipal corporations can play in supporting smaller urban local bodies. In this case, Ahmedabad’s reported engagement with Sanand extended beyond its own sanitation operations to guidance for another city participating in the national cleanliness assessment.
The award was presented in Delhi on 11 November. Ahmedabad’s sanitation workers and municipal teams were subsequently recognised at city level, while the corporation’s household waste-segregation and processing initiatives remain part of its ongoing cleanliness operations.
