Madurai became India’s dirtiest city in the Swachh Survekshan 2025 report

Under the Swachh Survekshan 2025 of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), Madurai topped the list of India’s dirtiest cities in the year 2025, followed by Ludhiana, Chennai, Ranchi, and Bengaluru.

The report of Swachh Survekshan 2025 released under the Swachh Bharat Mission has once again highlighted the deep gap in India’s urban sanitation efforts. This year, Madurai topped the list of India’s dirtiest cities till the year 2025, followed by Ludhiana, Chennai, Ranchi, and Bengaluru.

Swachh Survekshan is an annual cleanliness survey conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban).

It assesses Indian cities based on the following criteria: solid waste management, citizen feedback, level of cleanliness and sanitation, and innovation and best practices.

The survey covers more than 4,000 urban local bodies and ranks them to encourage competition and continuous improvement.

India’s top 10 dirtiest cities 2025

1 Madurai 4823

2 Ludhiana 5272

3 Chennai 6822

4 Ranchi 6835

5 Bengaluru 6842

6 Dhanbad 7196

7 Faridabad 7329

8 Greater Mumbai 7419

9 Srinagar 7488

10 Delhi 7920

Key highlights of the 2025 report

Despite being economic powerhouses, cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, and Delhi performed poorly. Rapid urbanization, weak waste segregation, and poor public discipline have contributed to the decline in their cleanliness scores.

Smaller cities like Indore, Surat, and Navi Mumbai continue to dominate the clean city rankings.

Once known as the “Garden City,” Bengaluru is now struggling with irregular waste disposal, overflowing landfills, and clogged drains and is ranked fifth among the dirtiest cities.

Chennai and Delhi have both been criticized for poor waste segregation, frequent waterlogging, and inefficient sanitation systems, reflecting shortcomings in long-term urban planning.

Pollution, untreated sewage, and improper solid waste management are affecting air and water quality in these cities, posing serious public health and environmental risks.

Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 Awards

Conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs since 2016, Swachh Survekshan is the world’s largest urban sanitation and cleanliness survey under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U).

Population above 10 lakh: Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Surat (Gujarat), Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra)

Population 3–10 lakh: Noida (Uttar Pradesh), Chandigarh, Mysuru (Karnataka)

Other categories:

Cleanest cities along the Ganga: Prayagraj

Safaimitra Surakshit Cities: Visakhapatnam, Jabalpur, and Gorakhpur

Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)

Launched on October 2, 2014, SBM is a nationwide cleanliness campaign divided into SBM-Gramin (under the Ministry of Jal Shakti) and SBM-Urban (under MoHUA), with financial support from the Swachh Bharat Kosh for CSR and philanthropic contributions.

Phase-II (SBM-Gramin) was launched in 2020–21, aiming to achieve ODF Plus status in rural areas by 2024–25 through solid and liquid waste management.

SBM-Urban 2.0, launched in 2021, focuses on garbage-free cities, fecal sludge and plastic waste management, greywater treatment, and capacity building to sustain urban sanitation outcomes.