Navi Mumbai has secured the top position among India’s cleanest cities, reflecting years of consistent civic initiatives, effective waste management and active participation from residents. Civic authorities have credited the achievement to sustained efforts by sanitation workers, improved environmental practices and the city’s planned urban development.
The foundation for Navi Mumbai’s cleanliness was established through the original planning undertaken by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), which incorporated wide roads, green spaces, gardens, playgrounds and holding ponds to manage flooding. The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has continued to maintain and strengthen these facilities despite substantial population growth over the past three decades.
The city has featured among the country’s 10 cleanest urban centres in the national cleanliness assessment for nearly a decade. Last year, it entered the Super Swachh League, a category recognising the best-performing cities with populations exceeding one million. This year, Navi Mumbai claimed the first position while retaining the highest seven-star certification for garbage-free cities and the top Water Plus rating under the Open Defecation Free assessment.
NMMC Commissioner Kailas Shinde highlighted the contribution of successive civic administrations and residents to the achievement.
“We have improved over the years and all my predecessors contributed their share to see the city on the top. Citizens’ participation has been a big boost for the award. We are good at waste management, tertiary water use, textile recycling which made us stand out in the competition,” he said.
Long-time resident Santosh Shinde also acknowledged CIDCO’s contribution, stating, “Cidco’s meticulous planning while creating Navi Mumbai has helped the civic body reap positive results now. The city has a lot of green spaces, wide roads, uninterrupted water supply and timely domestic waste collections making it a liveable place.”
Forest Minister Ganesh Naik said, “I have seen the city grow from marshy land to a metropolitan city with a population over 15 lakh. Whatever we promised to the people of this city has been delivered which is why Navi Mumbai stands out as compared to neighbouring cities.”
However, activist B N Kumar cautioned against overlooking environmental concerns, including worsening air quality, pollution and unchecked redevelopment, despite the latest recognition.
“The administration and elected representatives should not rest on these laurels but to urgently address the city’s deteriorating AQI, unchecked pollution in the name of development and reckless redevelopment. A cleanliness ranking must not become a smokescreen for the city’s growing environmental and public health concerns,” he said.
Source: Times of India
