Indore’s Clean Revolution vs Delhi’s Struggle: A Tale of Two Cities
Sometimes, winning a title once makes you crave it every single time. That’s exactly what seems to be happening with Indore. Year after year, it continues to claim the crown of India’s cleanest city—eight times in a row, to be exact. A feat so remarkable that today, many call Indore the "Singapore of India." And rightly so. Just as Singapore is admired globally for its immaculate streets and strict public hygiene standards, Indore has carved its own reputation for cleanliness back home.
In the recently announced Swachh Survekshan awards, Indore was once again declared India’s cleanest city. But this year came with an added distinction: it was named a “Super Swachh League City,” a title reserved for only those few cities that consistently stay at the top and excel on every cleanliness metric. The announcement was made by none other than the President of India, Droupadi Murmu.
Trailing Indore in the rankings were Surat and Navi Mumbai, taking second and third places respectively. Meanwhile, Noida topped the category of cities with populations between 3 to 10 lakh, and Panchgani led in the very small town category.
What Makes Indore Different?
What exactly is Indore doing that others aren't? The answer lies in a perfect blend of smart planning, technology, and citizen participation.
Each day, Indore generates nearly 1,900 metric tonnes of waste—700 tonnes of wet and 1,200 tonnes of dry garbage. And yet, its roads are free of garbage bins. Why? Because waste isn't just separated into wet and dry—it’s divided into six different categories right at the household and shop level: wet, dry, plastic, e-waste, sanitary waste, and hazardous household waste like glass, expired medicines, or pesticides.
All waste is collected door-to-door daily and processed the same day. The result? A city where civic responsibility isn’t just expected—it’s enthusiastically embraced.
Tech-Driven Civic Engagement
Indore’s success is deeply rooted in public involvement. Over 7 lakh residents actively use the 311 app, which allows them to report delays, missed pickups, or garbage mishandling—all within a minute.
Many neighborhoods are now “Zero Waste Colonies,” and nearly 500 homes practice home composting regularly. Here, cleanliness isn’t just about waste disposal—it’s about waste prevention. Reuse, composting, and recycling have become everyday habits.
The city has also launched some truly innovative initiatives:
- Bartan Banks: Borrow steel utensils for events to reduce single-use plastic.
- Jhola Banks: Promote reusable cloth bags to curb plastic usage.
- Plastic Buyback Schemes: Return used plastic for cash or rewards.
Even slums and markets in Indore are now part of the zero-waste movement.
Designed to Stay Clean
From the beginning, Indore was developed with urban zoning and waste flow in mind. It was envisioned as a “Planned City.” But even the best-designed cities fail if citizens don’t cooperate. That’s where Indore’s people shine. Without their civic sense, this model would never work.
Surat’s Journey: From Plague to Progress
Right behind Indore is Surat—a city that battled a plague in 1994 and is now India’s second-cleanest. This transformation wasn’t sudden. Over the past few years, Surat invested crores in solid waste management, sewer systems, and drainage infrastructure.
Today, the city has:
- 75 smart underground dustbins with sensors that alert when they’re full.
- 100% door-to-door garbage collection.
- Over 10 transfer stations to route waste to scientific processing facilities.
- Advanced Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) that segregate plastics and metals for recycling.
- GPS tracking and digital monitoring systems for 24x7 cleanliness oversight.
Navi Mumbai: A Steady Climber
Ranked third, Navi Mumbai is another shining example. Every household segregates wet and dry waste. Citizens deposit used plastic and paper at recycling markets in exchange for rewards.
The city also launched the Aspirational Toilet Project, installing creatively designed public toilets using recycled items like bottle caps and keyboards, making sanitation both eco-friendly and artistic.
Then There’s Delhi: The Capital Conundrum
Now, contrast all this with Delhi—a city that boasts metro lines, flyovers, and all signs of modernity. Yet, monsoons turn its streets into swamps. Garbage chokes the drains. Despite a plastic ban, enforcement is weak. In 2024 alone, over 1,700 fines were issued, but single-use plastic continues to flood the city.
In the Swachh Survekshan rankings, Delhi stood at 31st.
Why? Because while Indore collects fully segregated waste from every home daily, over 40% of Delhi’s households still mix their garbage. Many areas see irregular pickups or open dumping. About 70% of Delhi’s waste goes unsegregated into overflowing landfills like Ghazipur and Bhalswa.
Indore now has zero landfill sites. Delhi has three mountains of waste—literal garbage hills polluting the air, water, and soil.
Civic Sense: The Missing Link
The difference isn't just infrastructure—it's attitude.
In Indore, cleanliness is a community movement. There are civic pledges in colonies, competitions in schools, awareness drives by NGOs. People actively care about keeping not just their homes but their city clean.
In contrast, in Delhi, we proudly keep our living rooms spotless, but the garbage on our street corners? That’s someone else’s problem.
Overconsumption & Urban Waste
There’s a deeper problem too—our culture of overconsumption. We buy things we don’t need, contributing to unnecessary waste.
In 2023 alone, 65% of India’s urban plastic waste came from FMCG packaging and e-commerce deliveries. Nearly 25% of cooked food in urban homes is wasted daily, adding to landfill stress. And with fast fashion, India discards nearly 7 lakh tonnes of textiles annually.
A NITI Aayog–CPCB report warns that impulsive buying is pushing waste levels to dangerous highs.
Delhi’s Broken Drainage & Waterlogged Dreams
Monsoons in Delhi may look romantic on Instagram, but the reality is different. The city still follows a 1976 drainage master plan designed for just 50 mm of rainfall. Now, single-day showers exceed 200 mm. Roads turn into lakes. Nalas overflow. In 2025, Delhi recorded 445 waterlogging hotspots—double that of 2024.
Out of 713 drains scheduled for cleaning, only 40% were cleared on time.
Delhi may have 13,000 public toilets, but how many are usable remains unclear. The "find toilet" feature exists on apps, but when will we get a “clean toilet” feature?
And what about the Yamuna? Once Delhi’s pride, the river now reeks with toxic foam and untreated sewage. Even after a ₹2,000 crore cleanup project, over 70% of untreated drain water still flows into it.
Indore vs Delhi: Budget Doesn’t Equal Cleanliness
Indore spends about ₹200 crore annually on waste management—on biogas plants, plastic recycling, and green waste processing. Delhi’s MCD budget for sanitation and waste management is over ₹897 crore. Yet the results are far from satisfactory.
The truth is clear: Money alone can’t clean a city. Mindset can.
Indore’s success is not just about awards—it’s about a belief system. A mindset where every citizen feels responsible for the cleanliness of their city.
This is not just a story of rankings. It’s a blueprint for the future. A call to every citizen: don’t just clean your home—own your street, your colony, your city.
Because cities don’t become clean with policies alone. They become clean when people care enough to act.
Stay tuned to StoryAntra for more inspiring stories on India’s cities and communities.