Swachh Survekshan 2024-25: Rankings, Categories and Best Practices
Why in the news
The ninth round of the world’s largest cleanliness survey was viewed as a full audit of urban sanitation rather than only a ranking contest.
Key facts
- Over 4,500 cities took part (under 100 in 2016), with third-party checks and 140 million residents’ feedback.
- 10 assessment parameters, including segregation, treatment, sanitation worker welfare and grievance redressal.
- Super Swachh League: 20 cities, created to break the repeat dominance of Indore, Surat and Navi Mumbai; Ahmedabad, Bhopal and Lucknow led the million-plus list.
- Five population-based categories, up from two.
| Region | Highlights |
|---|---|
| Odisha | Bhubaneswar climbed from rank 34 to 9; Aska and Chikiti topped size categories |
| South | Hyderabad, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Guntur, Mysuru did best; Bengaluru lagged |
| NCR | NDMC and Noida strong; Delhi, Gurugram, Ghaziabad improved |
Best practices
- Indore: six-bin segregation at source. Surat: income from treated sewage water.
- Pune: ragpicker cooperatives. Visakhapatnam: eco-park on a remediated landfill.
- Lucknow: waste wonder park. Agra (Kuberpur): 47 acres reclaimed by biomining.
Theme 2025 and concerns
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (RRR) stresses the circular economy, jobs and SHGs.
- Waste monetisation stays limited: weak investor incentives, private viability doubts, low behaviour change.
Exam angle
- Ninth edition; new Super Swachh League; theme RRR.