Workshop to Chart Roadmap for Clean Himalayan Hill Cities

A preparatory workshop on the Clean Himalayan Hill Cities Initiative was organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on 16 December 2025 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, bringing together key stakeholders to develop a focused, strategic, and outcome-oriented roadmap to achieve visible, sustainable cleanliness in Himalayan hill cities.

The Clean Himalayan Hill Cities Initiative represents a concerted effort to develop a comprehensive, targeted approach to achieving visible cleanliness in hill cities. The initiative fosters structured ideation and collective reflection, leading to a practical solution across 13 Himalayan Hill Cities.

Chaired by the Secretary, MoHUA, Mr S. Katikithala, the initiative has brought together urban experts, technical agencies, private partners, technology solution providers, and senior representatives from 13 North-Eastern and Himalayan hill cities. Additionally, key hill and foothill cities of West Bengal—Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong, Mirik and Siliguri—are also included in the initiative.

Under the Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban, Himalayan hill cities have demonstrated several impactful on-the-ground initiatives and best practices that offer replicable, scalable solutions, driven by strong community participation and supported by appropriate technologies.

Building on these successes and aiming to accelerate and amplify these efforts, this initiative will strengthen collaboration, share knowledge, and chart a sustainable pathway for clean, resilient hill cities.

The preparatory workshop focuses on developing a strategy in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. The participants include State representatives, partner organisations, solution providers, and academic and research institutions.

Institutions such as IIT Roorkee, GB Pant University, and CEDAR, civil society and community organisations like Sulabh International, Waste Warriors, Healing Himalayas, and private and social-sector partners, including Swahaa Resource Management Pvt. Ltd., Royal Enfield Social Mission and Development, and global multilateral agencies such as GIZ, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, UNIDO, AFD, KfW, the European Union, the Embassy of Switzerland, and the Gates Foundation, the community leaders driving the change showcase their journeys in keeping Himalayan Hill Cities clean.

Together, these stakeholders reflect a whole-of-society approach—blending policy leadership, technical expertise, innovation, financing and community participation—to enable collaborative, scalable and context-specific solutions for cleaner and more resilient Himalayan hill cities.

India’s Hill and Himalayan States—including Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and select cities in West Bengal—face distinct urban challenges due to fragile ecosystems, steep and unstable terrain, dispersed settlements and extreme climatic conditions.

While notable progress has been achieved under Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban, structural and geographic constraints continue to hinder sustainable and resilient solid waste and sanitation outcomes.

The various informative brainstorming sessions spotlighted:

• Proven, Practical, Possible – What Works for Himalayan Cities: Showcasing replicable models and innovations in community-led waste management, decentralised sanitation systems, and resource recovery initiatives
• Drivers of Change: Inspiring community leaders from Himalayan hill cities who shared their journeys of driving change in sanitation and waste management—highlighting efforts such as mountain clean-up strategies, making shrines and religious places plastic-free, etc.
• Technology for Hill Cities: This session focuses on technology-driven solutions for hilly regions, covering integrated waste management, along with key advisories on promoting the offtake of treated sewage sludge, onsite sanitation options for colder regions, and decentralised solutions for used water management in hilly areas.
• Synergising Solutions: Collaboration for Clean Hill Cities: This session highlights how partnerships and cross-sector collaborations among government, civil society, private sector, and development partners can accelerate effective, sustainable waste management solutions tailored to the unique challenges of hilly regions.
• Insights from Global Practices: The session showcases replicable global models and innovations in community-led waste management, decentralised sanitation and resource recovery, adaptable to the Himalayan context.
• Roadmap Ideation with States/Cities: Interactive session for States/Cities to co-create roadmaps that address geographic challenges, solutions, and key sites to accelerate efforts toward visually clean hill cities.

The Clean Himalayan Hill Cities workshop launched key knowledge products to strengthen sanitation and waste management in the Himalayan and Hill cities.  These include “Mountains of Change: Transforming Waste Management in Hilly Areas”, a compendium of best practices from hilly regions, along with an “Advisory on Onsite Sanitation for Colder Regions” and an “Advisory on Promoting Offtake of Treated Sewage Sludge, offering practical guidance to support climate-responsive and sustainable urban solutions.

The Clean Himalayan Hill Cities Initiative will enable States and UTs, as well as partners, to identify specific challenges and solutions related to waste management and sanitation, particularly in areas of high footfall, such as pilgrimage routes and seasonal hotspots.

Following the workshop, participating States and UTs will undertake detailed assessments to identify priority focus areas, evaluate requirements, and prepare comprehensive plans for submission to the Ministry. These interventions are proposed to be rolled out in early 2026 to bring about tangible improvements and visible changes in the Himalayan hill cities.