Swachh rankings: New Delhi in India's best, rest of city struggles

{ E.COLI IN WATER } NGT INFORMED

- Paras Singh

While the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) region - covering Lutyens' Delhihas once again been judged among the cleanest urban areas in the country for its population category (50,000 to 300,000), the rest of the national capital has fared far worse in the ninth edition of the Swachh Survekshan (2024-25).

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.