New Delhi/Noida: Indore has once again retained its crown as India’s cleanest city, topping the Swachh Survekshan 2024–25 for an unprecedented eighth consecutive year. The survey, conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, assessed over 4,500 cities across India on key cleanliness and sanitation parameters.
Indore’s stellar performance is attributed to a combination of efficient waste management systems, strong public engagement, and consistent municipal efforts. The city has been hailed as a national model in urban sanitation, especially with its 100% household waste segregation, GPS-tracked waste collection, and night-time street cleaning operations.
Joining Indore at the top were Surat and Navi Mumbai, which secured second and third ranks respectively in the overall city cleanliness rankings.
Noida Shines in Population-Based Category
In a significant achievement, Noida was declared the cleanest city in the 3–10 lakh population category, surpassing major cities like Chandigarh and Mysuru. This recognition is seen as a strong endorsement of Noida Authority’s recent focus on infrastructure cleanliness, waste recycling, and improved garbage collection coverage.
Residents and RWAs in Noida have increasingly collaborated with officials to enforce waste segregation and cleanliness in housing societies, parks, and marketplaces. The city has also improved its public toilet infrastructure and promoted awareness campaigns around sustainability and hygiene.
Super Swachh League Introduced
This year, the Ministry introduced a new benchmark, the Super Swachh League, to honour cities that have consistently ranked in the top 3 of their respective categories for the last three years and are among the top 20% performers overall.
Cities like Indore, Surat, Navi Mumbai, Ujjain, and Budhni have found a place in this elite club, recognising their long-term dedication to urban cleanliness and innovation.
President Droupadi Murmu Presents Awards
The awards were handed over by President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Over 3,000 surveyors assessed more than 11 lakh households during the 45-day evaluation window for the 2024–25 survey.
The theme of this year’s survey was “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” aligning with India’s mission to move towards sustainable and circular urban development.
Nationwide Impact and Outlook
The Swachh Survekshan, initiated in 2016 as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, has now become the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey. It serves as both a performance metric and a motivation tool for cities to step up their public sanitation efforts.
With Indore setting a gold standard and cities like Noida rising through the ranks, urban India appears to be embracing the cleanliness revolution with greater determination than ever before.