What is in news : Indore, India’s cleanest city, has now been declared as the country’s first ‘water plus’ city under the Swachh Survekshan 2021

Water PLUS Protocol

• Reiterating its commitment to the cause, the Ministry of Urban Development also launched the Water PLUS Protocol.
• Moving beyond ODF, ODF+ and ODF++, the Water PLUS protocol aims to provide a guideline for cities and towns to ensure that no untreated wastewater is released into the environment thereby enabling sustainability of the sanitation value chain.
• This year, the citizen-centric focus has been enhanced substantially through verification of the progress made by cities on Swachhata through direct responses from citizens.