Swachh Survekshan: City ranks 39th among cities with over 10L population

Ludhiana has secured the 39th national rank in the Swachh Survekshan 2024–25, under the category of cities with a population of more than 10 lakh. However, it has ranked 144th in the state.

Despite its overall position, Ludhiana fell short in key sanitation metrics. In waste generation vs processing and dump site remediation, the city scored zero per cent. Its performance in source segregation was also poor, recording only 6 per cent.

On a brighter note, the city demonstrated strong performance across several cleanliness indicators, reflecting its growing commitment to urban sanitation. It achieved an impressive 97 per cent in the cleanliness of residential areas and 89 per cent in door-to-door waste collection. Market areas also showed remarkable upkeep with a 93 per cent score. While cleanliness of public toilets and water bodies saw comparatively modest results of 53 per cent and 50 per cent, respectively, they remain vital benchmarks for future improvement as Ludhiana continues its push towards healthier urban environment.

Ludhiana’s peripheral towns also participated in the Swachh Survekshan 2024–25 and recorded a range of performances across city categories. Doraha ranked 648th nationally and 71st in the state among small cities while Jagraon, categorised as a medium city, secured the 595th national and 133rd state ranks. Khanna performed relatively well with a national rank of 371 and a state rank of 66 in the same category.

In the small cities group, Machhiwara achieved 504th rank nationally and 50th in state rankings, whereas Raikot and Sahnewal stood at 423rd and 656th, respectively, with state ranks of 39 and 73. Among very small cities, Maloud, Mullanpur Dakha, Payal and Samrala showed varied results, with national ranks of 751, 747, 761, and 489, and state ranks of 80, 77, 85, and 35, respectively.

In Swachh Survekshan 2023, Ludhiana ranked 207th nationally and 10th in the state among cities with populations over one lakh. In 2022, the city was ranked 40th out of 45 cities in the category for cities with a population of more than 10 lakh. The drop in national rankings last year was due to a change in categorisation, shifting Ludhiana to the “over one lakh population” bracket. This year, it returns to the “over 10 lakh” category.

The Swachh Survekshan Survey is conducted annually by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) to assess cleanliness standards across cities in the country.

Ludhiana