Out of nine cities selected across the country, Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) awarded Water Plus Certification to three cities in Andhra Pradesh, making it the only state to have such an achievement. Water Plus certification is awarded to cities under Sawchh Survekshan assessment and Swachh Bharat Mission.The certified municipal corporations are Tirupati Municipal Corporation, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), and Vijayawada Municipal Corporation.
According to the statement from the CMO of Andhra Pradesh; as per MoHUA’s prescribed protocols, the Water Plus certification is given to cities that have already achieved Open Defecation Free (ODF) or ODF+/ODF++ statuses. A Municipal Corporation is certified as Water Plus if the treatment and management of liquid waste from households, sewer, commercial establishment drains etc. is done according to the prescribed level, following the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) norms, before releasing the treated wastewater to the environment. The other criteria that is taken into consideration is that wastewater/sewage treatment facilities should be adequate and regularly maintained along with cost recovery through recycling and reuse of treated wastewater, mentioned the CMO statement.
