Visakhapatnam district secures top position in Swachh Andhra rankings

Vijayawada: Visakhapatnam district has secured the top position in the Swachh Andhra rankings, followed by Vizianagaram and Guntur in second and third place. Sri Sathya Sai, Parvathipuram Manyam and Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) districts occupied the last three positions respectively.The rankings were based on parameters including door-to-door waste collection, segregation of wet and dry waste, individual household toilets and ODF Plus standards. Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu suggested that future rankings be conducted by third-party agencies to ensure greater transparency.Chairing a review meeting on the progress of the Swarna Andhra-Swachh Andhra programme here on Friday, Naidu directed officials to roll out a time-bound action plan to meet the set targets. He underscored accountability and said failure to achieve targets would attract scrutiny and corrective measures.Naidu asked officials to construct public toilets wherever required in municipalities and to establish waste-to-energy plants within defined zones. He said old dumping grounds should be cleared expeditiously and asked officials to convert them into green spaces, with priority given to sites near villages and towns.Officials informed the chief minister that of the 153 lakh tonnes of waste generated in urban areas since June 2024, about 114 lakh tonnes was cleared. Naidu directed that the remaining waste be fully cleared by June and asked for the removal of 10 lakh metric tonnes of accumulated waste in rural areas.He said door-to-door waste collection and processing should reach 100% coverage and suggested coordination with MARKFED for compost marketing. He also proposed community soak pits linked to magic drains to address wastewater issues and improve groundwater recharge.Guidelines were issued for govt welfare hostels and residential schools to ensure waste segregation, installation of rooftop solar systems, adoption of net-zero practices, increase in green cover and maintenance of hygienic kitchens. He ordered the expansion of air quality monitoring by adding 53 manual stations to the existing 83 locations.Officials briefed the chief minister on measures to curb single-use plastics and ongoing waste collection initiatives. At present, 633 Swachh Rath vehicles collect around 125 tonnes of dry waste daily, with Gobardhan units and Green Shops converting waste into revenue. Naidu called for increasing the state's green cover from 31.33% to 37% by 2030 and 50% by 2047.Minister for municipal administration P Narayana, PCB chairman Krishnaiah, Swachh Andhra Corporation chairman Pattabhi, MAUD principal secretary Suresh Kumar, Industries secretary Yuvaraj, MAUD commissioner Sampath Kumar, Panchayat Raj director Krishna Teja and other senior officials were present.