Swachh Survekshan 2025: Cities Ranked Among the Least Clean in India
Analysis:
- Swachh Survekshan 2025, conducted under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), evaluates cities across India on parameters such as waste management, sanitation infrastructure, citizen feedback, and service delivery.
- Despite nearly a decade of sanitation reforms under the Swachh Bharat Mission launched in 2014, several urban centres continue to face serious challenges in waste processing, sanitation coverage, and urban cleanliness.
- The survey highlights that urban local bodies in certain cities struggle with solid waste management, inadequate segregation at source, poor waste treatment capacity, and weak enforcement of sanitation rules.
| Rank | City | State / UT |
|---|
| 1 | Madurai | Tamil Nadu |
| 2 | Ludhiana | Punjab |
| 3 | Chennai | Tamil Nadu |
| 4 | Ranchi | Jharkhand |
| 5 | Bengaluru | Karnataka |
| 6 | Dhanbad | Jharkhand |
| 7 | Faridabad | Haryana |
| 8 | Greater Mumbai | Maharashtra |
| 9 | Srinagar | Jammu & Kashmir |
| 10 | Delhi | National Capital Territory of Delhi |
- Key concerns observed in the lowest-ranked cities include:
- Inefficient solid waste collection and disposal systems.
- Low levels of source segregation of waste.
- Inadequate sewage treatment and sanitation infrastructure.
- Weak citizen participation and behavioural change in maintaining cleanliness.
- The rankings underline the persistent urban governance and infrastructure gaps, particularly in rapidly growing cities where population pressure strains municipal resources.
- The findings emphasize the need for:
- Strengthening municipal waste management systems.
- Expanding waste processing and recycling facilities.
- Improving public awareness and behavioural change campaigns.
- Enhancing capacity of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).
- The results also highlight the importance of continuous monitoring through national surveys to drive competition and performance among cities.
Static / Background Information:
- Swachh Survekshan
- Annual cleanliness survey conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
- First launched in 2016.
- Evaluates Urban Local Bodies across India on sanitation, waste management, and citizen participation.
- Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban)
- Launched on 2 October 2014.
- Objective: Achieve clean, open defecation free, and waste-managed urban spaces.
- Current phase: Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0, focusing on scientific waste processing and circular economy.
Updated - 10 Sep 2025 ; 10:30 AM | Deccan Herald