Lucknow and Rourkela top India's 2026 clean air survey

The Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026 rankings, conducted under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), have identified the top-performing cities in India for air pollution management.

In the category of cities with populations exceeding one million, Lucknow rose 14 places to secure the first rank with 198 points, narrowly surpassing Indore, which earned 197 points. Jabalpur took third place, while Bhopal and Agra shared fourth. Despite the top ranking, data indicated that Lucknow's Air Quality Index (AQI) was generally higher than Indore's during the assessment period.

In the category for cities with populations between 300,000 and 1,000,000, Rourkela secured the top position, with Bhubaneswar ranking fourth. For cities with fewer than 300,000 residents, Kalinga Nagar ranked first, followed by Anugola and Talcher.

The survey evaluates urban local bodies on several metrics, including road dust management, solid waste management, vehicular and industrial emissions, and construction waste management. The results were announced by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in New Delhi.