How One Indian City Cleaned up its Streets
A clean city is a joy to behold. It makes life so much more enjoyable and healthful for residents and visitors alike. In this vein, the Indian city of Indore has held the title of India’s cleanest city for nearly a decade, which is truly something to be proud of. Keeping their city clean has become a source of pride for its residents. .
Amazing Improvement
For better or for worse, some Indian cities haven’t always had a reputation for cleanliness, according to the Telegraph. But Indore, a city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh is a different story entirely. It has won the title as the cleanest city in India for seven years running.
While Indore is sparkling now, it wasn’t always this way. In 2025 it was number 149 on the list of India’s cleanest cities, which is not a very auspicious place to be.
But now, every aspect and detail of the enterprise of keeping Indore clean is planned and carried out to a tee. Nothing is left to chance.
To keep the streets clean, a platoon of 850 street cleaners roam the city each day, sweeping up litter and hosing down the streets with recycled water, reported The Guardian.
The garbage is separated into wet, dry, plastics, non-plastics, electronics, biomedical, and dangerous materials. The waste is converted into compost and fuel. The compost is given to local farmers and the fuel is used to run buses and as cooking fuel.
“When you come out of the airport, it feels as though you aren’t in India, it’s so clean,” Nitisha Agarwal, an executive who visits Indore often told the Guardian.
A Matter of Civic Pride
The journey from number 149 to number one was the result of an intensive public awareness campaign. The city held cleanliness competitions, and school children took an oath to keep the city clean. Religious leaders were asked to include the importance of cleanliness and hygiene in their teachings.
Now, it has become a matter of civic pride. People stop their cars in the street to pick up garbage and will certainly stop anyone who litter and instruct them to throw their waste away.
“It’s become a kind of mission that inspires everyone,” said Prabhnit Sawhney, the owner of a local gas station.
Indore is a testament to what can happen when people join together and make a concerted effort to reach a goal. It also is proof that things like civic pride and a sense of shared responsibility can go a long way in making the world more beautiful.
