Hyderabad: Telangana has emerged as a strong example of citizen-led urban sanitation under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) 2.0, leveraging community participation and behavioural change to improve cleanliness, public health and sustainable waste management.
As part of its 100-Day Action Plan conducted between June and September 2025, the state mobilised citizens and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) through a series of awareness and outreach programmes. More than 36,900 people participated in cleanliness rallies covering 250 kilometres, marking the launch of the campaign.
A major focus of the initiative was household-level waste management. The state sensitised 27.09 lakh households on source segregation of waste and home composting, encouraging responsible waste disposal practices.
Under the ‘Amrut Mitra – Women for Trees’ programme, over 24,700 saplings were planted with the participation of 10,704 women from Self-Help Groups (SHGs). Additionally, more than 13,400 citizens joined World Environment Day rallies promoting environmental conservation.
The campaign also prioritised the welfare of sanitation workers, with 25,386 frontline staff receiving health check-ups through dedicated medical camps.
To improve urban infrastructure and public health, authorities cleaned 18,351 kilometres of stormwater drains and nallahs, sensitised 15 lakh households on seasonal disease prevention and cleaned 621 overhead drinking water tanks.
The initiative was further linked to women’s economic empowerment, with over ₹1,045 crore in loans disbursed to 8,546 SHGs. Telangana has since launched a 99-Day Action Plan for 2026, focusing on sustained behavioural change, sanitation improvements, safe drinking water and enhanced citizen participation in urban governance.
