Moving from 'visible cleanliness' to managing the full sanitation value chain is the real test of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban). Analyse.

The Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) began in 2014 as a drive for visible cleanliness: swept streets and toilets. Its 10th Swachh Survekshan (2025-26) surveyed 4,751 cities and now scores the whole value chain. That chain runs from segregation and processing to desludging, used water and sanitation workers' welfare [1]. The mission's real test is whether every link in that chain holds.

Segregation → Collection → Transport → Processing → Legacy dumpsite cleared
Used water  → Mechanised desludging → Treatment → Safe reuse
           (Sanitation workers' safety runs through every stage)

Fig: The urban sanitation value chain

Phase I: Visible gains

• Door-to-door collection rose from 44% to over 96%, and waste processing from 16% to 80% [1].
• Citizen feedback and GPS-monitored checks have made city rankings more credible [1].

Phase II: Testing each link

• Segregation at source: CAG found that incomplete segregation sent mixed waste to processing sites [2]. So the "80% processed" figure may overstate real outcomes.
• Legacy waste: Just 214 high-impact dumpsites hold nearly 80% of the legacy waste still left [3]. Counting the number of sites cleared can hide the biggest piles.
• Used water and desludging: These are now scored indicators [1]. This extends the mission from solid waste to liquid waste.
• Dignity of labour: 332 workers died cleaning sewers and septic tanks between January 2021 and June 2026 [4]. A city cannot be called clean if cleaning it costs lives.

Governance enablers

• Finance: The Parliamentary Standing Committee found that spending under SBM-U 2.0 was far below its central share, with the mission ending in 2026 [5].
• Verification: In 2018, a Standing Committee asked for independent verification of open defecation free (ODF) claims instead of cities declaring it themselves [6]. The same principle should apply to every indicator a city reports about itself.
• Capacity: Swachh Shehar Jodi pairs 70 mentor cities with 191 mentee cities, and PRAGATI-50 will develop 50 model clean cities [1].

Way forward

• Give more weight to the quality of segregation, checked on site.
• Report legacy waste as tonnes remaining, not sites cleared.
• Tie the welfare score to zero sewer deaths.
• Set yearly physical and financial targets.

SBM-U has largely won the battle for visible cleanliness. Its lasting legacy depends on the less visible links: segregation, cleared dumpsites, treated used water and safe work. Backing these with timely funds and independent audits would help meet SDG 6 and SDG 11. It would also uphold the dignity guaranteed by Article 21, and make cleanliness truly a people's movement.