Swachh Bharat Mission: Indian cities deploy AI, EVs and digital platforms to modernise sanitation
New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Indian cities are deploying artificial intelligence (AI), digital platforms and electric vehicles to modernise sanitation services, an official factsheet said on Thursday, ahead of the 12th anniversary of Swachh Bharat Mission.
Local governments seek safer, cleaner and more efficient ways using tools from AI to EVs to manage waste and waterways, the statement said, citing several examples.
Raipur Municipal Corporation introduced a digital Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) dashboard prototype based on the UPYOG platform, associated with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the National Institute of Urban Affairs and the National Urban Digital Mission.
The system enables residents to book desludging services online, pay digitally and track processes digitally. Earlier, they had to visit the municipal office for septic tank cleaning services.
Once a resident enters a mobile number or property ID, the system automatically locates the address. A single-page form enables desludging to be booked, the statement noted.
Drivers upload photographs after completing the work, and the dashboard also helps the city monitor vehicles and plan resources more efficiently. Digital monitoring supports the shift from manual sewer cleaning towards mechanised cleaning.
Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation has brought a robot G-SPIDER, an AI-powered canal-cleaning system to clean the Amayizhanchan Canal.
The robot uses machine vision and sensor intelligence to detect, assess, and remove accumulated waste. It adapts to different waste types, flow conditions and structural challenges in real time. Its five-degrees-of-freedom mechanism uses a biomimetic claw to pick up mixed and irregular debris. The extracted waste is then transferred directly into designated collection vehicles.
G-SPIDER enhances worker safety by minimising direct exposure to toxic gases, contaminated water and hazardous waste. It can also operate during high water levels and continuous-flow conditions, supporting scheduled and systematic canal cleaning.
In Guntur city, more than 200 electric autos have brought cleaner mobility to door-to-door waste collection across the city.
Each vehicle is equipped with GPS tracking, allowing real-time monitoring of collection operations. The initiative eliminates the need for more than 71,000 litres of diesel annually and is estimated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 21,000 tonnes over a decade.
The Swachh Bharat Mission launched on October 2, 2014, has evolved to digital, sensor-enabled and electrified urban sanitation, the statement noted.
The Greater Chennai Corporation in Tamil Nadu has deployed 5,478 battery-operated e-rickshaws across all 15 zones for door-to-door collection. The vehicles travel around 40 km a day, replacing diesel-powered collection vehicles.
The fleet reduces around 41 tonnes of carbon emissions each day, amounting to an annual reduction of 15,160 tonnes.
Indore city in Madhya Pradesh has deployed 100 electric vehicles for door-to-door collection in core areas. Real-time GPS tracking through the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) supports monitoring and service transparency.
