Navi Mumbai named India’s cleanest city: How it rose to No. 1 after Indore’s eight-year reign
Surat and Vijayawada follow as over4,700 cities compete in national cleanliness survey
Dubai: Navi Mumbai has emerged as India’s cleanest city in the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 rankings, climbing two places to claim the top spot in a prestigious national cleanliness competition long dominated by Indore.
Surat secured second place and Vijayawada finished third in the Super Swachh League category, marking a major achievement for Navi Mumbai, which had ranked third last year behind Indore and Surat.
However, Indore, which held the cleanest city title for eight consecutive years, competed in a different category this year under the newly introduced Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative.
President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards at a ceremony in New Delhi on Wednesday, recognising achievements in sanitation, waste management and urban cleanliness across the country.
More than 4,700 urban local bodies participated in the annual survey, according to the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry.
How Navi Mumbai reached No. 1
According to The Times of India, Navi Mumbai’s rise followed several years of sustained efforts to improve waste management, public sanitation and citizen participation.
Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation commissioner Kailas Shinde credited sanitation workers, civic employees, residents and elected representatives for the achievement.
The city adopted strict solid waste management practices, regular cleaning of roads and skywalks, and targeted sanitation drives in busy public areas.
Technology also played a significant role, with an integrated command and control centre monitoring waste collection and transportation.
India’s cleanest cities: Who won where?
Super Swachh League
Navi Mumbai
Surat
Vijayawada
Mentor City category
Ahmedabad–Sanand
Indore–Depalpur
Tirupati–Kuppam
Other category winners
Cities above 10 lakh population: Greater Visakhapatnam
Cities with 3–10 lakh population: Ujjain
Cities with 50,000–3 lakh population: Dewas
Towns with 20,000–50,000 population: Vita
Cleanest riverfront town: Rewa
Cleanest coastal town: Puri
Cleanest Himalayan city: Rudrapur
Source: Swachh Survekshan 2025–26
Other initiatives included segregated waste processing, water reuse, plastic reduction campaigns and the country’s first textile waste recycling centre.
Residents were encouraged to report problems through digital platforms, including the MyNMMC app and the Citizen Grievance Portal.
The city has also received seven-star garbage-free city recognition and Water Plus certification for sanitation standards.
However, the award has not escaped criticism. The Times of India quoted local activists and residents who questioned the city’s cleanliness standards, citing encroached footpaths and unresolved civic complaints.
What happened to Indore?
Indore, the eight-time cleanliness champion, was placed in the Mentor City category this year alongside its partner town, Depalpur.
It secured second place, while Ahmedabad and its partner Sanand topped the category. Tirupati and Kuppam finished third.
The initiative pairs high-performing cities with other urban centres to improve sanitation standards through shared expertise and mentoring.
How are India’s cleanest cities chosen?
Cities are ranked under the annual Swachh Survekshan survey conducted by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry.
The 2025–26 assessment covered 4,751 urban local bodies, with more than 3,000 trained assessors evaluating performance across 43 indicators.
These included waste collection and segregation, visible cleanliness, sanitation, wastewater management, welfare of sanitation workers and citizen feedback.
The assessment involved field inspections, GPS-enabled monitoring and digital verification.
Around 2.7 crore citizens provided feedback, which received greater weight in this year’s rankings.
Which other Indian cities won?
According to NDTV and India Today, Greater Visakhapatnam topped the category for cities with populations exceeding 10 lakh, while Ujjain emerged as the cleanest among cities with populations between three lakh and 10 lakh.
Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa was named India’s cleanest riverfront town, followed by Bilaspur and Varanasi.
Among coastal towns, Odisha’s Puri secured first place, followed by Kerala’s Alappuzha and Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri.
Rudrapur topped the Himalayan cities category, with Jammu second and Shopian third.
In the category for populations between 50,000 and three lakh, Dewas finished first, followed by the New Delhi Municipal Council area and Sagar.
Maharashtra’s Vita was ranked the cleanest town in the 20,000–50,000 population category, ahead of Odisha’s Aska and Goa’s Panaji.
