Bhubaneswar: Urban areas of the state have attained 100% door-to-door collection and source segregation of municipal solid waste, propelling the cities towards a path of sustainability, as per the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index 2023-24 unveiled by the NITI Aayog recently.
The report highlights that Odisha, a trailblazer and top performer across various SDG indicators in 2023-24, has excelled in SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities), securing an impressive overall score of 74 out of 100.As per the report, only 3.1% population in urban areas live in ‘kuccha’ houses, while deaths due to road accidents stood at 35 per 1 lakh.
However, the score failed to resonate with experts in the realm of sanitation and environment, who asserted that the cities have a considerable journey ahead to achieve true sustainability, particularly in terms of solid waste processing and management. They said that long-term measures need to be introduced for waste processing in cities.
“Bhubaneswar has embraced a decentralised approach to waste processing and established multiple wealth centres. Yet it isevident that the civic body struggles to process the entirety of the generated waste, resulting in an overburdened dumping yard in Gadakana,” said former director of Centre for Environment Studies, Sailabala Padhi.
Regarding municipal solid waste processing, the cities have attained a commendable 90.72%, while in wastewater management through the installation of sewerage treatment plants, the cities have scored a mere 29.49%, as per the SDG Index of the NITI Aayog. Household toilet coverage in urban areas touched 119%.
City mayor Sulochana Das acknowledged that the SDG report reflects BMC’s unwavering efforts in enhancing the city’s liveability. “Additional wealth centres are being established to ensure comprehensive waste processing,” she said.

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