Navi Mumbai has emerged as India’s top-ranked city in the Super Swachh League category of Swachh Survekshan 2025-26, marking a major change after Indore held the country’s cleanest city title for eight consecutive years. Surat and Vijayawada secured the second and third positions, respectively.
The results of the 10th edition of the Centre’s annual cleanliness assessment were announced on November 11, 2026, at a ceremony in New Delhi, where President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards. Indore, meanwhile, secured second place in the separate Swachh Shehar Jodi category alongside its partner town, Depalpur.
The survey assessed more than 4,700 cities and urban local bodies on cleanliness, sanitation and waste management. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs also reported improvements in door-to-door waste collection, source segregation and sanitation among cities participating in its mentorship programme. The results highlight the importance of municipal administration, citizen participation and cooperation between cities in improving India’s urban cleanliness standards.
Navi Mumbai Takes the Lead
Maharashtra’s Navi Mumbai has secured the first position in the Super Swachh League category of Swachh Survekshan 2025-26, followed by Gujarat’s Surat and Andhra Pradesh’s Vijayawada. The announcement marks a significant development in India’s annual cleanliness rankings, particularly as Indore, which had maintained its position at the top for eight consecutive years, is no longer leading the category. The awards were presented by President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony held in New Delhi on November 11, 2026. The 10th edition of the nationwide assessment evaluated more than 4,700 cities and urban local bodies on several parameters, including cleanliness, sanitation, waste collection, waste segregation and used water management.
Navi Mumbai’s achievement reflects its civic administration’s efforts to improve sanitation services, maintain public spaces and strengthen waste management systems. The city had secured third position in the previous survey before moving to the top in the latest edition. However, Indore’s absence from the leading positions needs to be understood in the context of a new category introduced in this year’s assessment. The city participated in the Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative, which focuses on partnerships between established cities and other urban centres to improve cleanliness practices. Indore and its partner town, Depalpur, secured second position in this category.
Ahmedabad and Sanand claimed the first position, while Tirupati and Kuppam finished third. The initiative aims to encourage cities to share their experience, administrative practices and sanitation strategies with other urban local bodies. Therefore, Indore’s placement in a separate category does not necessarily indicate a decline in its cleanliness performance. Instead, the new framework recognises the role cities can play in helping other urban centres improve their sanitation infrastructure and public services.
Smaller Cities and Mentorship Programme
Beyond the overall recognition, Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 acknowledged cities across different population groups and geographical categories. Among cities with populations exceeding 10 lakh, Greater Visakhapatnam emerged as the leading city, followed by Jabalpur and Lucknow. In the population category of 3 lakh to 10 lakh, Ujjain secured the first position, while Chandigarh and Guntur finished second and third, respectively. Among cities with populations between 50,000 and 3 lakh, Dewas topped the rankings, followed by the New Delhi Municipal Council and Sagar. In the 20,000 to 50,000 population category, Maharashtra’s Vita secured first place, with Aska in Odisha and Panaji in Goa taking the next two positions.
The survey also recognised cities for addressing geographical and sanitation-related challenges. Rewa in Madhya Pradesh was declared the cleanest riverfront town, while Rudrapur in Uttarakhand emerged as the cleanest Himalayan city. Puri in Odisha topped the Swachh Coastal Town category, followed by Alappuzha in Kerala and Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. An important aspect of this year’s assessment was the improvement recorded under the Swachh Shehar Jodi mentorship programme.
According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, participating cities registered progress across several cleanliness indicators between the 2024-25 and 2025-26 assessments. Visible cleanliness improved from 48% to 70%, while door-to-door waste collection increased from 52% to 74%. Source segregation, which involves separating waste at the point where it is generated, rose from 16% to 30%. Access to sanitation improved from 11% to 38%, while used water management increased from 32% to 53%. Public advocacy and awareness around cleanliness also rose from 48% to 66%. These improvements indicate how knowledge-sharing and cooperation between urban local bodies can contribute to better civic services.
The ministry said the assessment was supported by more than 3,000 trained assessors who conducted extensive on-ground evaluations across the country. Real-time GPS-enabled monitoring was used to support the process, while digital systems covered evidence submission and verification. Quality checks were also incorporated at different stages to strengthen transparency and ensure consistency in the assessment. This year’s survey was conducted under the theme ‘Swachhata Ki Nayi Pehel – Badhayein Haath, Karein Safai Saath’, emphasising collective participation in maintaining cleanliness.
The findings underline that improving urban sanitation requires more than occasional cleaning drives. Regular waste collection, segregation at source, accessible sanitation facilities and effective wastewater management are essential for maintaining healthier public spaces. They also highlight the importance of extending successful municipal practices beyond major cities to smaller urban centres.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The latest Swachh Survekshan results offer an important reminder that cleanliness should not be treated merely as an annual competition between cities. While Navi Mumbai’s achievement deserves recognition, the larger goal must be to ensure that every resident, irrespective of where they live, has access to clean surroundings, proper sanitation and reliable waste management services. Indore’s participation in the mentorship category also highlights the value of cooperation over competition. Cities with established systems can help others learn, improve and develop solutions suited to their local challenges.
At the same time, civic administrations must remain accountable for maintaining public infrastructure, ensuring regular waste collection and addressing residents’ concerns. Citizens also have an equally important responsibility to segregate household waste, avoid littering and participate in community cleanliness initiatives. Most importantly, sanitation workers, who play an essential role in keeping cities clean, must receive dignity, safe working conditions and proper support.
Sustainable cleanliness cannot be achieved by placing the entire responsibility on municipal workers or expecting citizens to compensate for gaps in civic infrastructure. It requires a shared commitment between governments, local authorities, businesses, communities and residents. As India’s cities continue to expand, cleanliness must become part of everyday civic life rather than a target pursued only during surveys.
Do you think Indian cities can achieve lasting cleanliness through stronger municipal accountability, greater public participation or better cooperation between urban local bodies?
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