Despite ambitious civic campaigns like “Singara Chennai 2.0”, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has earned a dismal reputation in the latest Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 rankings, emerging as one of the dirtiest major cities to live in India. Among Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) with a population of over 10 lakhs, Chennai ranked 38th out of 40, and a shocking 104th within Tamil Nadu overall, well behind even smaller towns.
Released by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Swachh Survekshan survey assesses urban bodies on sanitation, waste management, and citizen feedback. Chennai scored just 6,822 out of 12,500, far behind top performers like Indore, Surat, and Navi Mumbai, who occupied the top three spots. Indore also achieved a 7-star Garbage Free City (GFC) rating Chennai received none.
Within Tamil Nadu, smaller municipalities like Namakkal outperformed the capital by a huge margin. Namakkal scored 99% in door-to-door garbage collection, 59% in source segregation, and 99% in waste processing, earning recognition in the “Promising Cities” category. Trichy was ranked as the cleanest city in Tamil Nadu among cities with 3–10 lakh population.
- Coimbatore: 28th (10 lakh+ category)
- Madurai: 40th (bottom of the list)
- Trichy: 49th (3-10 lakh category)
In contrast, Chennai fared poorly across key parameters:
- Door-to-Door Waste Collection: 54% (vs Indore’s 100%)
- Source Segregation: 34% (vs Indore’s 98%)
- Waste Processing: 24% (vs Indore’s 100%)
Deputy Mayor M. Magesh Kumaar was quoted saying in a DT Next report that the GCC is “continuously working” to improve sanitation and argued that comparisons with cities like Indore were “unfair” due to Chennai’s vast size, population nearing one crore, and recent inclusion of expanded zones. He added that public toilets have been privatised and solid waste handling has improved but also hinted at possible issues with the ranking methodology.
Still, the figures paint a grim picture. Once celebrated as one of the oldest municipal bodies in the world, Chennai is now grappling with basic urban sanitation failures. The 2024-25 ranking serves as a wake-up call for GCC, highlighting that policy slogans must now translate into cleaner streets and livable urban conditions.
(With inputs from Times Of India)
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