From Pollution to Perfection: How these 7 cities became India’s eco-tourism icons

India has had a history of using sustainable practices for centuries. Today, a lot of cities in India have been working towards a better future with their sustainable goals and practices. These cities are implementing various strategies to minimize the impact on the environment, improve living conditions, and promote economic development in a sustainable manner, which is the need of the hour considering the rising pollution levels and global warming.

Let’s get to know more about seven sustainable cities of India:

Indore is a historic city in Madhya Pradesh that also has been ranked as the cleanest city in India consecutively for the 8th year in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25. The city has endlessly worked on its sanitation and hygiene practices for a better future. It has implemented practices such as waste segregation, door-to-door collection of waste, and smart monitoring systems to make sure that the waste does not impact the environment. It is using advanced processing systems for garbage and plastic recycling units. It is planning to be a green city with new waste processing plants, EV adoption, air quality targets, and even rainwater harvesting plants.

Surat in Gujarat and has been ranked second in the Super Swachh League. It is also referred to as an early smart city as it has projects in mobility, urban planning, and also sustainable development projects with Microsoft and IBM. It has also been appreciated for its great execution of waste-to-energy projects, digital monitoring and recycling systems, and an app called the SMC app has also been made for active civic complaints to ensure quick response to its citizens and cleanliness. This city has implemented effective waste management strategies to ensure it remains a clean city.

Navi Mumbai was given the third position in the Super Swachh League large city category. It is appreciated for its planned urban infrastructure along with efforts in sustainable practices such as waste segregation, composting, and recycling systems. The city’s development authority has started projects like the NAINA city within which they are planning an eco-friendly urban centre with smart infrastructure. The city’s authority has been actively launching projects that are environment-focused and promote green building practices.

This city is located in Gujarat and has been named India’s cleanest big city. It is known for implementing practices like door-to-door waste collection, digital systems for monitoring waste, citizen feedback systems, along with strict anti-litter policies. This city has actively been promoting the use of renewable energy sources and green building construction with solar panels and rainwater harvesting. This city is aiming to become a zero-waste city by 2031 and has been implementing measures such as waste-to-energy technologies and reuse and recycling of waste.

Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh is in the second position among the cleanest cities with a big population. It has been actively working to become a sustainable city with a smart city project and implementing transportation systems that would reduce the carbon footprint. It has also been appreciated for its waste management system and for its urban sanitation infrastructure. This is the first Indian city to launch a voluntary local review with UN-Habitat to work on its sustainable development goals. Bhopal also aims to be a global environment city by promoting environmental awareness and reducing pollution in the city.

The capital city of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow secured the third position in the Swachh Shehar category for cities above one million population. It is also the first city in Uttar Pradesh to get a 7-star rating for being a garbage-free city. It has greatly implemented initiatives such as waste segregation, scientific processing, and even clean-up of major dumping sites. It has also introduced EV sanitation vehicles and composting units with great support from the citizens of the city. The builders here have started adopting environment-friendly designs for residential projects and the government is also working on conservation of water.

This city in Karnataka has also been listed in the Super Swachh League and is known for its waste management initiatives and its eco-friendly transportation. This city is also considered one of the greenest cities in India. The government has implemented door-to-door garbage collection and a waste segregation system. The use of eco-friendly transportation has also increased through bicycles and electric vehicles. They have also been building more and more sustainable homes, keeping in mind the global impact for a better future.