Bengaluru has made a significant jump in the Swachh Survekshan 2024–2025 rankings, moving up from 125th in 2023 to 36th place among cities with a population of over one million. This marks a major milestone in the city’s cleanliness journey, especially considering its 194th rank in 2019.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) played a central role in this turnaround through focused efforts on sanitation, solid waste management, and public hygiene. The city also ranked 15th within Karnataka, reflecting improved service delivery and citizen engagement.
Bengaluru now achieves 99% door-to-door garbage collection, with 82% of households segregating waste at source and 81% of waste processed relative to generation. Residential areas scored 100% on cleanliness, while market zones and waterbodies scored 97% and 93%, respectively.
However, the city’s progress is marred by serious gaps: it scored 0% in dumpsite remediation and only 27% for public toilet cleanliness.
Top factors for improvement:
- Near-universal door-to-door waste collection
- Widespread source segregation compliance
- Efficient waste processing systems
- Cleanliness in residential and commercial areas
- High citizen participation in sanitation efforts
Padmashree Balaram, president of the Koramangala 1st Block Residents’ Association, highlighted the city’s Water+ certification but noted the need for better toilet infrastructure to attain ODF+ status.
Odette Katrak, founder of Beautiful Bharat, emphasized that sustained cleanliness without black spots can help Bengaluru reach the top 10 next year.