Lucknow Ranks 3rd Nationally, But Reality Bites

Lucknow has once again secured the third position nationally among cities with a population exceeding one million in the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2025-26. This marks the second consecutive year the city has held this rank, despite persistent issues with door-to-door garbage collection and dusty roads. The city also achieved the first national rank in the Swachh Vayu Survekshan, recognizing its clean air efforts.

Despite these environmental accolades, residents continue to face challenges such as dust accumulation on roads and air pollution. The civic body attributes the inability to achieve a higher rank to the absence of a functional waste-to-energy plant and a past incident that affected the city's score. The mayor expressed optimism that the waste-to-energy plant, expected by next year, will improve future rankings.

The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) highlighted its decentralized collection and centralized processing model, supported by electric vehicles and digital monitoring, as key to its performance. The city has also made strides in processing legacy waste, reclaiming significant land area. However, consistent waste collection and processing remain critical for sustained improvement.

Currently, the LMC is focusing on three major projects: a horticulture waste processing plant, a compressed biogas (CBG) plant, and a waste-to-energy plant. These initiatives aim to enhance waste management infrastructure, reduce reliance on distant processing facilities, and strengthen the city's disposal mechanisms, alongside a continued focus on zero-dump-site policies and public participation in waste segregation.