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Delhi, Kolkata Rank Poorly in Global City Sanitation Rankings

Mumbai was ranked 223, and New Delhi came at 228 in sanitation rankings in Mercer’s Quality of Living survey involving 231 global cities.

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Vienna has been rated as having the highest quality of living in the world for the ninth year in a row in a recent survey. Vienna is followed by Zurich at the second spot, while Auckland and Munich hold the third rank jointly, according to Mercer’s 20th annual Quality of Living survey, released on March 20.

In the city sanitation rankings, Indian cities were ranked among the lowest, with Mumbai occupying the 223rd spot, while New Delhi was at No.228, and Kolkata occupied the 227th position. Dhaka was ranked 230 in this segment. Honolulu was ranked as the city with best sanitation, followed by Helsinki and Ottawa.

The survey included 231 cities across the world. It provides a separate ranking on city sanitation, analyzing cities’ waste removal and sewage infrastructure, levels of infectious disease, air pollution, water availability and quality – all important aspects of a city’s attractiveness for both talent and businesses.

Hyderabad retained its position as the top Indian city according to quality of living, for the fourth year in a row. Hyderabad is joined by Pune, both ranked at 142, with Pune jumping up three spots this year as the two newer technology hubs ranked highest among the seven Indian cities surveyed. New Delhi, on the other hand, was the lowest ranked city in India for the third consecutive year. The city “continues to face challenges in traffic and air quality,” the survey said.

Other Indian cities surveyed — Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru — also ranked lower on the Quality of Living Index.

Honolulu tops the City Sanitation ranking, followed by Helsinki and Ottawa in joint second, whereas Dhaka, ranked 230, and Port au Prince at 231, are at the bottom.

The survey pointed out that despite economic volatility in Europe due to uncertainty around Brexit as well as increased political uncertainty in the region overall, many of its cities still offer the world’s highest quality of living and continue to remain attractive destinations for expatriates on assignment.

“How successful an international assignment is hinges on the personal and professional well being of the individual expatriate and the welfare of their families. As well as a significant hinder to a city’s, business and talent attractiveness, poor quality of living can considerably impact on an expatriate’s lifestyle,” said Slagin Parakatil, principal at Mercer and global product owner for its Quality of Living research.

Parakatil added that younger generations, millennials in particular, often have high expectations in terms of lifestyle, leisure and entertainment opportunities. Companies sending expatriates abroad need to get the full picture of conditions on the ground in order to compensate their employees appropriately for any decrease in living standards.

According to the survey, in the Asia-Pacific region, Singapore remains the highest-ranking city in the 25th place whereas Dhaka ranks 216th. In Southeast Asia, Kuala Lumpur is ranked 85 and follows Singapore. Other key cities include Bangkok at 132, Manila at 137, and Jakarta at the 142nd slot.

Dubai, at 74th place, continues to rank highest for quality of living across the Middle East, closely followed by Abu Dhabi, which is ranked 77.

New Zealand and Australia continue to rank highly in quality of living. While Auckland is at number three, Sydney is ranked 10th and Wellington is at number 15.

Top 10 City Rankings 2018

1 Vienna
2 Zurich
3 Auckland
3 Munich
5 Vancouver
6 Dusseldorf
7 Frankfurt
8 Geneva
9 Copenhagen
10 Basel
10 Sydney

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