Eight urban bodies from Kerala have made it to the list of the top 100 cleanest towns in the country, as per the union government’s Swachh Survekshan 2024 rankings. These are: Kochi Corporation, Mattannur, Thrissur Corporation, Kozhikode, Alappuzha Municipality, Guruvayur Municipality, Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam Corporations.
Compared to previous editions of the list, where Kerala barely found a mention, this year’s presence could signal a shift in the state’s approach towards urban sanitation and waste management.
Mattannur, a municipality in Kannur district, also received special recognition under the ministerial award category. It was named Promising Swachh Shehar of State/UT — a tag given by the housing and urban affairs ministry to towns showing significant potential in urban cleanliness.
While the award doesn’t directly place Mattannur among the very top ranks, it does suggest the Centre is keeping a closer eye on its progress.
Beyond the top 100, Kerala now has 82 municipalities featured in the list of 1,000 best-performing towns across India. Just a few years ago, the state had none in this bracket.
Out of these, 23 municipalities secured star ratings under the garbage-free city framework — three towns received a 3-star rating and 20 got 1-star recognition. Thiruvananthapuram Corporation received the Water+ certification. Meanwhile, three municipalities earned OSF++ tags and 77 were certified ODF+.
Kochi pulled off the state’s biggest jump — climbing from a previous rank in the 400s to national rank 50 in the latest survey, making it the cleanest city in Kerala this round. Reports credit the turnaround to stepped-up waste handling, including work at the Brahmapuram solid waste site, biomining of legacy piles, and expanded resource recovery.
The survey score drew on citizen feedback, field inspections, waste processing capacity, sanitation systems and urban beautification indicators, so Kochi’s rise suggests progress across several fronts, even if much work remains
For the eighth consecutive year, Indore has retained the title of India’s cleanest city. The rankings were based on a survey conducted by the union housing and urban affairs ministry, involving more than 4,500 urban local bodies.
Among cities with over 10 lakh population, Surat and Navi Mumbai came second and third respectively, while Vijayawada was placed fourth.
In the 3 to 10 lakh population category, Noida was ranked first, followed by Chandigarh and Mysuru. Bhopal was listed as the cleanest state capital this year.
The results were officially announced at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi on July 16
