III. Surat
Surat, with a score of 69.08, has been ranked third cleanest city in India. Surat is the commercial capital of the Indian state of Gujarat, and one of the fastest growing cities in India with a population in 2010 nearly the double of that in 2001.
The city has been ranked 36th in the list of world’s largest cities. Surat Metropolitan Region is widely regarded as one of the cleanest Metropolitan Regions. The city is largely recognized for its textile and diamond businesses, and known as the diamond capital of the world and the textile capital of India.
Inclusion of Surat as the third cleanest city came as quite a surprise to many, since the city was ravaged by severe Plague Epidemic in 1994. Caused by a combination of heavy rains and blocked drains leading to flooding, while a number of dead street animals and public waste were not removed in time, it led to many countries imposing travel and trade sanctions on India. Since then, the city’s municipal corporation and people have worked hard to clean the city. Surat now has a computerized water distribution system, and computerized drainage system is under implementation. It also has one of the best water treatment plants in India.
