Swachh Survekshan 2025-26: Pune Slips to 27th, Pimpri-Chinchwad Named Maharashtra’s Cleanest Big City

Pune, 13th November 2026: Pune has dropped to 27th place among cities with more than one lakh people in Swachh Survekshan 2025-26, down from 10th last year. Its twin city did far better: Pimpri-Chinchwad was ranked the cleanest city in Maharashtra among cities with over 10 lakh people.

The results of the central government’s annual cleanliness survey were announced this week. Awards were presented at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Wednesday, November 11.

Where Pune ranked this year

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) slipped in both lists that matter for a city of its size, according to Punekar News and Sakal:

• Cities with more than 1 lakh people: 27th (10th last year)
• Cities with more than 10 lakh people: 12th (8th last year)
• Swachh Vayu Survekshan, the air quality ranking of 50 cities: 18th, as reported by Punekar News

For most of the survey’s history Pune sat in the national top 10. This is the first time in recent years it has fallen out of the top 10 in both population groups.

Why Pune lost ground

The survey’s rules have become stricter. Punekar News reported that the Centre now expects 100% treatment of the sewage a city produces and pollution-free rivers and lakes. Pune has struggled on both counts, and Punekar News said the PMC lacks effective measures to stop pollution of its rivers and lakes.

Sakal’s report blamed growing garbage spots and a decline in day-to-day cleanliness on city streets.

Punekar News also noted a familiar pattern: inspection sites and public toilets get special attention only during survey weeks. The PMC had not issued a detailed response to the ranking when this story was published.

How Pimpri-Chinchwad came out on top

The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) was ranked first in the state in the above-10-lakh category and received a national award for sanitation and waste management. President Droupadi Murmu presented it to Mayor Ravi Landge and Municipal Commissioner Dr Vijay Suryawanshi, according to Pune Pulse.

PCMC credits the result to:

• Segregation at source, with separate collection of wet, dry, sanitary and domestic hazardous waste
• Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (RRR) centres in its wards
• Ward-level monitoring by health inspectors and assistant health officers
• Awareness drives with housing societies and NGOs

Commissioner Suryawanshi said the award is a responsibility as well as a source of pride. Mayor Landge credited sanitation workers and residents.

What the survey measured

The 10th edition of Swachh Survekshan, run by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, covered 4,751 cities. Union Minister Manohar Lal said at the ceremony that urban waste processing in India has risen from 16% in 2014 to 80%, Civic Mirror reported.

Navi Mumbai was named the country’s cleanest city in the top league. We have covered the full list of Maharashtra winners separately.

What residents can do

Pune residents can report garbage spots and missed collection through the PMC CARE app or the PMC helpline, and PCMC residents through the PCMC Sarathi helpline. Segregating waste at home remains the single biggest factor in how a city scores. For air quality in your area, see our Pune AQI today page.

What is still not clear

The ministry’s detailed scorecard for Pune, showing marks lost in each section, has not been widely reported yet. We will update this story when PMC responds or the full scores are available.

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