Swachh Survekshan 2024-25: New Delhi Municipal Council, Noida tops cleanliness survey; Ghaziabad significantly improves its position

New Delhi: Cities across the National Capital Region (NCR) have put up an impressive show in the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2024, with New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), Noida, and Ghaziabad all earning high ranks in their respective population categories. NDMC has been named the cleanest city in the medium-sized category (50,000 to 3 lakh population). Noida topped the 3 to 10 lakh bracket, and Ghaziabad secured 11th position among cities with over one million residents.

Ghaziabad’s leap from 38th place in 2023 to 11th in 2024 marks a significant achievement. Last year, the city was grouped in a lower population category, those with more than one lakh residents. Still, under the revised classification system for this year’s survey, it competed in the ‘Million-Plus’ category. 

The Swachh Survekshan, conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), is the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey. The 2024 edition, the event's ninth edition, saw participation from a record 4,589 cities, which were assessed on cleanliness, solid waste management, sanitation practices, and citizen feedback.

NDMC, though covering only around three per cent of Delhi’s area, manages some of the most prominent zones in the capital, including Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament House, and Central Vista. Its top rank is credited to a combination of civic discipline, technological integration, and consistent service delivery.

Noida’s performance too has been driven by improvements in solid waste segregation, decentralised waste processing units, and community-led cleanliness campaigns.

Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), responsible for nearly the entire geographical spread of the capital, was placed 31st in its category, an improvement from 90th last year, but still trailing behind its NCR neighbours.

President Droupadi Murmu and Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal presented the awards during a ceremony in New Delhi. NDMC’s award was received by Delhi Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood, NDMC Chairman Keshav Chandra, and Vice Chairman Kuljeet Singh Chahal.

To ensure a fair and level playing field, this year’s Swachh Survekshan introduced a population-based classification system, dividing cities into five categories: ‘Very Small’ (under 20,000 population), ‘Small’ (20,000 to 50,000), ‘Medium’ (50,000 to 3 lakh), ‘Large’ (3 lakh to 10 lakh), and ‘Million-Plus’ (more than 10 lakh residents).