Dhar's cleanliness ranking at risk as results await and drain water flows at bus stand

Dhar has not figured in any category among the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 results announced so far. The results for the category of cities with a population of 50,000 to one lakh are still awaited. Dhar Nagar Palika and other civic bodies in this category are waiting for them. The results are expected in the next two to three days, and only then will it be clear whether Dhar has held on to its previous ranking or slipped further.

In the last survey, Dhar stood 45th in the state. Hopes appear weak this time, as the ground reality of the city's sanitation raises several questions. The survey team had toured all 30 wards of the city to inspect arrangements. The question is how the city can score well in the survey when everyday cleaning itself is not in order.

Many wards of the city still lack proper drains, so dirty water from homes keeps flowing onto the roads. The same sight was seen in the bus stand area on Friday morning. Drain water flowed on the road from near the police control room and Kotwali police station up to the bus stand. Commuters passing through and people living nearby had to put up with the problem.

If cleanliness is in such a state at a prominent public place like the bus stand, the condition of the inner wards is easy to guess. It also raises the question of what state the team found the city in during the survey. If the arrangements are not improved in time, the possibility of Dhar's ranking falling below the previous one cannot be ruled out.

About 40 tonnes of garbage is generated every day from the city's 30 wards. The Nagar Palika's garbage collection vehicles gather it and take it to the trenching ground. But for the past two years, the waste there has not been scientifically disposed of. As a result, large heaps of garbage have piled up at the trenching ground.

Instead of being disposed of properly, the garbage is being mixed into the ground with machines. This has raised questions about scientific disposal of waste and environmental management. In the Swachh Survekshan, scientific disposal of waste matters as much as its collection. The poor state of the trenching ground could therefore affect Dhar's ranking.

The picture will become clear only after the results for cities with a population of 50,000 to one lakh are out. The biggest question before the Nagar Palika is whether it can maintain its previous position or whether lapses in cleanliness will push the ranking lower. For now, the state of the city's roads, drains and trenching ground raises questions about claims of a better ranking.