Lucknow’s double life: UP’s cleanest city rank, but filthy neighbourhoods

In the 2024–25 Swachh Survekshan (cleanliness survey), Lucknow put up an impressive performance. With 12,001 out of 12,500 points – a 96 percent score – the city ranked third in the country. It also bagged the prestigious 7-Star Garbage-Free Certificate (GFC) and the Water Plus ODF certification, making it the cleanest city in Uttar Pradesh.

The municipal corporation claims this success reflects the picture of the entire city, so we set out to investigate. On paper, these achievements look truly remarkable. In reality, however, the picture is strikingly different. 

While reporting, we came across two very different faces of Lucknow.

In areas like Hazratganj and Gomtinagar, wide and gleaming roads, regular cleaning drives, green belts, and colourful walls create the image of an ideal city. These are the very parts that the municipal corporation and government advertisements project as Lucknow’s pride. But the story changes as soon as one steps into the informal settlements.

In localities such as Faizullaganj, Naveen Mandi, Vasant Kunj, Balaganj, Hussainabad, Peer Bukhara, the slums along Moti Jheel, and several others, garbage heaps and filth are a routine sight. In the narrow lanes, it is hard to distinguish between open drains and the street itself. During the monsoons, this contaminated water seeps into homes, raising the threat of diseases like dengue and malaria. Many families said the garbage truck comes only two or three times a week.

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