2025 Swachh rankings: New Delhi among India's best, but rest of city suffers
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which governs the majority of the city's area and population, ranked 31st out of 44 urban local bodies (ULBs) in the million-plus population category. Meanwhile, the Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB) slipped to 30th place out of 58 cantonment boards – a sharp decline from its 7th position last year.
This year's survey saw participation from 4,589 ULBs across India, making it the largest cleanliness audit to date. The survey evaluated cities on a new scale of 12,500 points (up from 9,500 in previous editions of the survey) across key metrics such as visible cleanliness, waste segregation, sanitation, wastewater management, and welfare of sanitation workers.
Delhi's 1,483 sq km area is divided among three ULBs: MCD, which governs 1,397 sq. km; NDMC, covering the Lutyens' zone; and DCB, which handles the cantonment area.
While NDMC (along with Noida) earned its place in the 'Super Swachh League' with high scores across all indicators, MCD scored only 7,920 out of 12,500 points. Cities like Meerut, Aligarh, Patna, and Agra fared better, while only Srinagar and Bengaluru performed worse in the same category.
Experts said that the findings of the 2024-25 cleanliness survey paint a stark picture of a city divided. While NDMC's limited geography, affluent population, and rigorous civic governance help it stand out, the rest of Delhi continues to grapple with chronic issues—unplanned urbanisation, weak policy enforcement, and lack of civic participation.
Behind Delhi's rankings
Landfill clean up: MCD's poor ranking is partly due to its underwhelming performance in this category. It scored just 56% in dumpsite remediation. The biomining and bioremediation projects at the three major landfill sites – Okhla, Bhalswa, and Ghazipur – have missed several deadlines since their inception in 2019, despite being mandated by the National Green Tribunal. New extended deadlines range between July 2026 and December 2027.
MCD also scored poorly in segregation (56%) and waste processing (51%). Though source segregation is legally mandated, its on-ground implementation remains minimal. Of the 11,328 tonnes of waste generated daily in Delhi, MCD areas account for over 11,000 tonnes, yet a large portion remains unsegregated and ends up in already saturated landfills.
Water body cleanliness: Delhi's performance in the cleanliness of water bodies was dismal, with the MCD securing only 27% marks. This indicates a significant lapse in maintaining or restoring the city's numerous natural and artificial water bodies.
Market cleanliness: MCD scored relatively better in door-to-door waste collection and cleanliness in market areas—indicating some success in daily maintenance tasks, though large-scale infrastructure and systemic reforms are still lacking.
Fall in cantonment rank: The Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB), which managed to secure the 7th spot among 62 boards last year, has now fallen to 30th. DCB fared poorly in crucial areas like door-to-door collection, waste segregation, and processing.
Why NDMC excels
Officials said that NDMC's consistent high ranking reflected a combination of factors: a smaller, more manageable jurisdiction; higher budget allocation per capita; and a proactive administrative approach. The Lutyens' zone also benefits from a well-planned layout, better infrastructure, and limited population pressure compared to MCD areas.
Keshav Chandra, Chairman of NDMC, attributed the success to the 'relentless hard work' of the civic body's employees, particularly sanitation workers. Vice Chairman Kuljeet Singh Chahal highlighted the role of public cooperation: 'The collaborative spirit of the community has been pivotal in achieving this honour.'
Independent experts agreed.
Atin Biswas, programme director of the municipal solid waste sector at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said That NDMC has completely different conditions with very rich local body, high infrastructure and human resources compared to the rest of the city.
'NDMC has no landfills, as it sends all its waste to municipal corporation areas. Its situation is not comparable to the rest of the city,' he said.
While MCD officials are yet to issue a formal statement, civic activists and residents' groups have criticised both the administration and the public for the city's poor performance.
Atul Goyal, president of URJA (United RWAs Joint Action), said, 'There is a collective failure of both agencies and citizens to own the city. Door-to-door collection and waste segregation are more on paper than in practice. Policies have not been effectively implemented at the ground level.'
Goyal also criticised the shift toward large-scale incineration projects rather than decentralized waste management solutions. 'Delhi has practically given up on segregation. The focus has shifted to burning waste instead of processing it responsibly. What we need is a decentralised model that processes waste at the ward level – this alone can reduce transport costs, pollution, and landfill dependency.'
Bharati Chaturvedi, environmentalist and founder of Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group said that MCD has done badly and it must re-look its contracting system. 'The failure of the contracting system is that the private contractors have incentive to take more waste to landfills. It should be the other way round. The incentive should be to take inert waste. Recyclable waste and wet waste being taken to landfill sites should be disincentivised,' she said.
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