Greater Hyderabad has been recognised as Telangana’s first Swachh city under the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26, with the award acknowledging improvements in sanitation, cleanliness and solid waste management across the city. The recognition was conferred by President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Hyderabad in-charge minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation commissioner RV Karnan and Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority commissioner Sarfaraz Ahmed received the award. The assessment was conducted by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under the Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban.
Cities were evaluated across 10 parameters for a total of 10,500 marks. The assessment covered visible sanitation, door-to-door garbage collection, waste segregation, transportation and processing of waste, sewage management, public sanitation facilities, water management, sanitation workers’ welfare and citizen feedback.
A third-party field inspection was conducted across the twin cities in April and May. Inspectors assessed sanitation infrastructure, solid waste management systems, sewage treatment, door-to-door garbage collection and public participation as part of the evaluation process.
The award places Greater Hyderabad’s civic sanitation systems in the context of a longer sequence of performance milestones. The city received Open Defecation Free status in 2017 and achieved ODF++ status in 2019. In 2021, it became the first urban local body in Telangana to receive Water Plus certification, which it retained in 2023 and 2024.
The city also received a five-star Garbage Free City rating in 2023 and an upgraded seven-star rating in 2024. In the 2024 Swachh Survekshan, Greater Hyderabad secured sixth rank among cities with a population of more than 10 lakh.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has also been extending support to smaller urban local bodies through the Swachh Shehar Jodi programme. Under the programme, GHMC has signed memoranda of understanding with Manthani and Cheryala municipalities, acting as a mentor city and organising training programmes and capacity-building workshops focused on sanitation standards.
The recognition also reflects the range of systems that sanitation rankings now examine beyond visible cleanliness. Waste collection, segregation, processing, sewage treatment, public facilities, water management, worker welfare and citizen participation are assessed together, making the award a measure of civic service delivery as well as street-level appearance.
Officials said the award would encourage GHMC to strengthen its cleanliness initiatives and work towards making Greater Hyderabad a cleaner and more sustainable city. The civic body’s continuing responsibilities include maintaining sanitation infrastructure, sustaining waste management performance and supporting the municipalities covered under its mentoring programme.
