GMC launches ‘Sikun Guwahati – Mor Guwahati’ campaign to tackle waste crisis

In a bid to address the mounting waste crisis and improve urban cleanliness, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) has launched a citizen-centric campaign titled ‘Sikun Guwahati – Mor Guwahati’ (Clean Guwahati – My Guwahati). The initiative aims to enhance solid waste management, promote urban greenery, and foster public awareness and participation.
Guwahati, the largest city in Northeast India, generates approximately 700 tonnes of waste daily, of which nearly 300 tonnes remain untreated. To tackle this, GMC Commissioner M S Lakshmi Priya announced that the campaign would focus on ward-level cleanliness assessments based on 10 key parameters, including residential and commercial zones, public spaces, water bodies, toilets, educational institutions, tourist spots, parks, bulk waste generators, and RRR (reduce, reuse, recycle) centres.
Each ward is evaluated monthly by a team of trained assessors under the supervision of sanitary inspectors and technical officers. The assessments are digitally recorded through the ‘Sikun Guwahati Survekshan’ web portal and mobile app, featuring an interactive dashboard modeled on the Swachh Survekshan framework of the Government of India. Citizen feedback is a vital component of the evaluation process.
The campaign also seeks to improve Guwahati’s ranking in the national Swachh Survekshan survey. After ranking 402 out of 458 cities in 2023 in its category (1–10 lakh population), Guwahati made a significant leap to rank 44 in 2024. GMC aims to build on this progress for the 2025 survey.
To encourage community involvement, ward-level committees chaired by councillors have been formed. These committees conduct awareness drives on waste segregation into four categories: wet, dry, domestic hazardous, and sanitary. Currently, only about 417.5 tonnes of waste are processed daily, but new waste processing units are being set up to improve capacity.
Experts and residents have welcomed the initiative. Pallavi Deka, Assistant Professor at Handique Girls’ College, highlighted the need for public awareness and administrative commitment, especially in source segregation. She also raised concerns about environmental hazards caused by landfilling near Deepor Beel, a Ramsar site.
Local residents like Bidisha Singha and Hiranya Sarma praised the campaign’s impact, noting improved cleanliness and proactive community participation. They expressed hope that sustained efforts would lead to long-term improvements in waste management across the city.