Lucknow Tops Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026; Six UP Cities Ranked

Key facts

• Lucknow secured the first position among cities with a population of more than 10 lakh in the 5th Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026, scoring 198 points.
• The awards were conferred on September 7 during Swachh Vayu Diwas 2026, observed on the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies.
• The programme was organised by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
• The 2026 assessment covered 130 NCAP cities divided into three population categories: below 3 lakh, 3-10 lakh, and above 10 lakh.
• Evaluation criteria included road-dust management, solid waste management, vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, construction and demolition waste, DG sets and commercial establishments, and IEC activities.
• In the large-city category (above 10 lakh), Lucknow topped with 198 points, followed by Indore (197) and Jabalpur (195).
• Other Uttar Pradesh cities in the large-city category included Agra (Rank 4, 192 points), Ghaziabad (Rank 9, 184), Kanpur (Rank 11, 183.2), Allahabad/Prayagraj (Rank 13, 180), Meerut (Rank 22, 170.5), and Varanasi (Rank 34, 150).
• NCAP is a flagship initiative covering 130 cities in 24 states and Union Territories, with a performance-linked grant of ₹16,425 crore.
• According to the 2026 assessment, 108 of 130 NCAP cities improved PM10 levels in 2025-26 compared with 2017-18; 72 cities achieved over 20% reduction, 26 cities over 40%, and 14 cities met NAAQS.
• A Compendium of Best Management Practices under NCAP was released to help other cities adopt effective air-quality management approaches.