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Lucknow Tops 2026 Clean-Air Survey; Delhi Ranks 21st
Lucknow was judged the top-performing large city in India’s 2026 clean-air survey.
Delhi came 21st, even though its winter pollution can be very dangerous.
Mumbai ranked 28th and Bengaluru ranked 32nd.
The survey looked at actions cities took to reduce pollution, not only the air measured on one day.
It checked issues such as road dust, vehicle fumes, industrial pollution and waste management.
Rourkela was first among medium-sized cities, while Kalinga Nagar led smaller cities.
The government assessed 130 cities through city reports, committee reviews and field checks.
Officials said many cities had reduced PM10 pollution, but air quality remains a serious problem in several places.
Lucknow ranked first among cities with populations above one million in the 2026 Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan.
Delhi placed 21st, while Mumbai ranked 28th and Bengaluru 32nd in the same category.
Chennai, Jamshedpur, Kota, Kolkata and Madurai occupied the bottom five positions among million-plus cities.
Rourkela topped the three-lakh-to-10-lakh category, while Kalinga Nagar led cities with fewer than three lakh residents.
Under the National Clean Air Programme, 108 of 130 cities improved their PM10 levels in 2025-26 compared with 2017-18.
- Who
- The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change assessed 130 cities under the National Clean Air Programme.
- What
- The fifth Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan ranked cities according to their efforts to improve air quality.
- Where
- The assessment covered 130 cities across 24 Indian states and Union Territories.
- When
- The awards and rankings were reported on September 7, 2026, covering 2025-26 performance against 2017-18 baseline levels.
- Why
- The survey was conducted to measure and recognise actions addressing road dust, waste, vehicle and industrial emissions, construction pollution and other air-quality problems.
Key facts
- Top million-plus city
- Lucknow
- Delhi’s position
- 21st among cities with populations above one million
- Top medium-sized city
- Rourkela, among cities with populations between three lakh and 10 lakh
- Top small city
- Kalinga Nagar, among cities with populations below three lakh
- Cities assessed
- 130 cities across three population categories
- PM10 improvement
- 108 of 130 cities recorded improvement in 2025-26 compared with 2017-18
- NCAP funding
- ₹16,425 crore in performance-linked grants was provided to the 130 cities
Sources
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