Kerala Shines in Swachh Rankings: 82 Municipalities Enter Top 1,000 for Cleanliness

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has made a historic leap in the central government’s Swachh Survekshan rankings, with 82 out of the state's 93 municipalities securing spots among the top 1,000 cleanest cities in the country. The improvement follows the consistent efforts under the ‘Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam’ (Waste-Free New Kerala) campaign, implemented by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government to strengthen waste management and sanitation across the state.
Until last year, not a single municipality from Kerala was placed within the top 1,000 ranks. This year, eight cities from the state entered the list of India’s top 100 cleanest cities—a first in Kerala’s history. Kochi climbed to rank 50 from 1815 last year, followed by Mattannur (53), Thrissur (58), Kozhikode (70), Alappuzha (80), Guruvayur (82), Thiruvananthapuram (89), and Kollam (93). The highest rank Kerala had achieved in the previous survey was 1370, but now even the lowest-ranked city from the state is placed at 1385, indicating a uniform improvement across municipalities.
According to official data, several initiatives carried out under the Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam campaign were instrumental in this transformation. The government reported that 1029 out of 1034 local self-government bodies had been declared "waste-free" by meeting at least 80% of the targets set across 13 evaluation parameters. These included waste segregation, door-to-door collection, treatment and disposal of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste, and public participation.
The Local Self Government Department, through Clean Kerala Company, collected 61,664 tonnes of non-biodegradable waste in the last financial year. The Haritha Karma Sena—a network of green workers involved in waste collection and segregation—generated an income of Rs 348.9 crore last year from their activities. Currently, Kerala has 19,721 small-scale and 1,522 large-scale waste storage facilities operating across the state.
Additionally, through bio-mining efforts, 52 acres of land previously burdened by legacy waste were recovered and restored. These results highlight the comprehensive approach taken by the state, from grassroots mobilization to infrastructure development, in addressing solid waste management.