Published Nov 12, 2026 | 1:18 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 12, 2026 | 1:18 PM
Mattannur earns ‘Swachh City’ status. (Supplied)
Mattannur Municipality in Kannur has become the first municipality in Keralam to receive the ‘Swachh City of Keralam’ recognition under the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs’ Swachh Survekshan 2025-26.
Municipal Chairman N. Shajith received the award from President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Wednesday, 11 November.
The recognition follows the municipality’s performance in sanitation and waste management under Swachh Survekshan, the nationwide cleanliness assessment conducted as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban.
The survey evaluates civic bodies on parameters such as waste collection, segregation at source, scientific waste processing, public sanitation facilities and community participation.
Mattannur’s achievement is attributed to a range of initiatives aimed at improving waste management and involving residents in cleanliness activities.
These include strengthening the Haritha Karma Sena, modernising the waste processing facility at Karithoorparambu and introducing household-level organic waste management.
The municipality has also set up Green Force groups in schools, adopted windrow composting for organic waste and established a chicken rendering plant to scientifically process slaughterhouse waste.
Community participation campaigns, timely implementation of centrally sponsored sanitation schemes and sustained cleanliness drives also contributed to the recognition.
Mattannur had earlier received the ‘Promising Swachh Shehar of Keralam’ award last year, before securing the top state-level recognition this time.
A recent initiative, the ‘Cleanliness Pledge Wall’, organised last month as part of the ‘Nirmalam – Puthuyuga Shuchithwa Keralam’ campaign, also drew considerable public attention.
The state delegation at the award ceremony included Local Self-Government Department Secretary S. Rajamanickam, Director Divya S. Iyer, Mattannur Municipality Secretary Simi H., Health Standing Committee Chairman K. Majeed and Clean City Manager Shine P. Jose.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
