Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): For five consecutive years, the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) had been showcasing the scientific reclamation of the Bhanpur landfill to secure Swachh Survekshan awards, but the massive legacy waste backlog at Adampur has now exposed the city's failure to address its current waste-management challenges.
The Madhya Pradesh Urban Administration and Development Department (UADD) itself flagged the Adampur backlog before the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), said Shishir Gemawat, managing director of the MP Swachh Bharat Mission.
Despite the state department flagging the issue at the national level, negligence by BMC's Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) cell, along with errors in survey entries, has cost the city dearly.
Bhopal has failed to secure a place in any award category in Swachh Survekshan 2026 after years of consistently featuring among India's cleanest cities.
President Droupadi Murmu gave the awards to the country's cleanest cities at a ceremony in New Delhi on Wednesday, but Bhopal did not feature among the winners.
BMC had been presenting the scientific bioremediation and reclamation of Bhanpur landfill for five years to secure marks in successive cleanliness surveys. The landfill was officially closed in January 2018 and reclaimed around 2020 through scientific bioremediation and bio-capping.
However, the estimated six lakh tonnes of legacy waste at Adampur emerged as the biggest hurdle. A BMC official associated with the SBM said approximately 2.18 lakh tonnes had been processed, while work on the remaining waste was continuing. The matter is also pending before the Supreme Court.
Bhopal had scored 12,067 out of 12,500 marks in the 2025 survey but failed to qualify for the Super Swachh League, capital city category or any other award this year.
Survey errors compound the setback
BMC sources said discrepancies were detected in survey entries at market areas, including 10 No. Market. The Centre reportedly deputed another team a week after the initial assessment to recheck the entries.
UADD officials also flagged shortcomings in roadside cleanliness, door-to-door waste collection, public toilet maintenance, wastewater treatment, sanitation workers' welfare and monitoring of garbage collection vehicles.
Citizen feedback another major weakness
Bhopal recorded only 2,550 citizen feedback responses against more than 9.80 lakh in Indore. The Swachh Jodi initiative, under which Bhopal provided vehicles and equipment to Berasia, also failed to bring significant improvement in the neighbouring town's sanitation system.
The setback marks a sharp reversal for Bhopal, which ranked second nationally in 2017 and 2018, fifth in 2023 and second in the 2024-25 Swachh Shahar category, besides securing a seven-star Garbage Free City rating and Water+ status.
Official statement
Shishir Gemawat, managing director of Swachh Bharat Mission, told Free Press that "This year we have asked MoHUA for technical and monetary assistance for scientific disposal of Adampur."
