"Ranking-based competition among cities has transformed urban sanitation, but rankings alone cannot sustain behavioural change." Critically examine this with reference to Swachh Survekshan.

Swachh Survekshan (SS) is MoHUA's yearly sanitation ranking of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). In its 10th edition (2025-26) it covered 4,751 cities, up from 73 in 2016 [1]. Competition has clearly improved results. Audit evidence, however, shows that rankings capture outputs better than everyday habits, so the statement is largely valid.

How ranking-based competition transformed sanitation

• Competitive federalism: Rankings turned cleanliness into a matter of civic pride. Since 2014, door-to-door collection has risen from 44% to over 96% and waste processing from 16% to 80% [1].
• Credible scoring: Citizen feedback and GPS-monitored digital checks make cities more accountable [1].
• Whole value chain: Cities are scored on segregation, desludging, used water and sanitation workers' welfare, not just on visible cleanliness [1].
• Peer learning: The Swachh Shehar Jodi scheme pairs 70 mentor cities with 191 mentee cities and ranks each pair on its combined score. This rewards cities for helping each other [1].

Why rankings alone cannot sustain behavioural change

• Habits lag behind equipment: CAG found that source segregation was not followed in 32 of 35 audited Karnataka ULBs. Collectors mixed waste even in vehicles with separate compartments [3].
• Metrics can flatter: Just 214 dumpsites hold nearly 80% of the remaining legacy waste [4]. A count of "sites cleared" can therefore hide the biggest problems.
• Dignity of labour: 332 sanitation workers died in sewers and septic tanks between January 2021 and June 2026. Only 193 FIRs were filed, and no evaluation of mechanised cleaning has been done [2]. Welfare scores do not yet stop manual entry into sewers.
• Rankings target ULBs, not households: Civic habits need education. This is why the President called for plastic waste management to be added to school curricula [1].

Ranking → ULB effort → Infrastructure ✔
                     ↘ Household habit ✘ (needs education + enforcement)

Fig: What rankings reach, and what they miss

Overall, Swachh Survekshan has made sanitation a competitive priority, but lasting change depends on citizens, workers and institutions. The way forward is to:

• give more weight to segregation quality checked on site;
• treat zero sewer deaths as a condition for any welfare score;
• strengthen citizen campaigns such as Swachhata Hi Seva [1].

Rankings can start the change; values and accountability must keep it going. This supports SDG 6 and SDG 11.