Swachh Vayu Survey 2026: Cleanest Cities Ranked

SWACHH VAYU SURVEY 2026 RANKS INDIA’S CLEANEST CITIES

WHY IN THE NEWS ?

Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026 rankings were announced in New Delhi, assessing cities on interventions aimed at improving air quality. Lucknow secured first position among million-plus cities, followed by Indore and Jabalpur, while improved municipal wards were also recognised for the first time.

Swachh Vayu Survey 2026: Cleanest Cities Ranked

SWACHH VAYU SARVEKSHAN 2026: KEY RANKINGS

  • Million-Plus Cities: Lucknow secured first position, followed by Indore and Jabalpur in the category of cities having populations above one million.
  • Medium Cities: Rourkela topped the 3–10 lakh population category, while Firozabad and Guntur jointly secured second position and Amravati stood third.
  • Smaller Cities: Kalinga Nagar ranked first among cities with fewer than three lakh people, followed by Angul and Talcher.
  • Bottom Performers: Among 47 million-plus cities, Chennai, Jamshedpur, Kota, Kolkata and Madurai occupied the bottom five positions; Delhi ranked 30th and Mumbai
  • New Recognition: For the first time, municipal wards that demonstrated improvements in air quality were also honoured, strengthening local-level environmental action.

AIR-QUALITY INTERVENTIONS AND CITY PERFORMANCE

  • Lucknow’s Measures: The capital adopted electric waste-collection vehicles, mechanised sweeping for road-dust management and legacy-waste management to improve air quality.
  • PM10 Reduction: Lucknow’s annual PM10 concentration declined from 250 µg/m³ in 2017–18 to 137 µg/m³, representing a 2% reduction.
  • Standard Gap: Despite its top ranking, Lucknow remains above the national annual PM10 standard of 60 µg/m³, indicating continued pollution-control requirements.
  • Jabalpur’s Initiatives: Its measures include a waste-to-energy plant, complete waste collection, scientific disposal, mechanised street sweeping and promotion of electric vehicles.
  • Assessment Parameters: The survey considers waste management, road-dust control, construction and demolition dust, vehicular pollution and industrial pollution, while PM10 reduction receives 5% weightage.

ABOUT NATIONAL CLEAN AIR PROGRAMME:

●      NCAP Launch: The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was launched in 2019 to address air pollution through coordinated and city-specific interventions.

●      Core Focus: It emphasises reducing particulate pollution, strengthening monitoring networks and implementing targeted measures across identified polluted cities.

●      PM10 Significance: PM10 refers to particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter of 10 micrometres or smaller, capable of affecting respiratory health.

●      Multi-Sector Approach: Effective air-quality management requires action on transport, industries, construction, waste burning, road dust and household pollution.

●      Survey Objective: Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan promotes healthy competition among cities by evaluating their air-pollution control efforts and outcomes.