Which Indian cities have the cleanest air?

By Sohail Khan 7 September 2026, 10:18 pm

Benchmarks
Nifty23,779.15-118.55

Precious Metal
Gold (MCX) (Rs/10g.)152,928.00161.0

Enter search text:

Business News›News›India›India's clean air rankings are out: Lucknow, Rourkela & Kalinga Nagar emerge at the top; see which cities made the list & which landed at the bottom

Read Today's Paper

India's clean air rankings are out: Lucknow, Rourkela & Kalinga Nagar emerge at the top; see which cities made the list & which landed at the bottom
Synopsis

Lucknow, Rourkela, and Kalinga Nagar received awards for their clean air initiatives. These cities were honored for their performance under the National Clean Air Programme. The program has shown positive results in reducing PM10 levels across many cities. Best management practices for air quality improvement were also released. These awards highlight achievable goals for cleaner air nationwide.

Listen to this article in summarized format

Loading…
×
×

Unlock AI Briefing and Premium Content

New Year Offer 24 Hours Left
Already a member? Sign In

What's Included

Exclusive Stories
Daily ePaper Access
Smart Market Tools
Curated Investment Ideas
Ad-lite Experience
Subscription

Lucknow, Rourkela, Kalinga Nagar top national clean-air survey lists

Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, along with Odisha’s Rourkela and Kalinga Nagar, emerged as the top performers in their respective categories at the fifth edition of the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Awards. The Union environment ministry honoured the cities for their efforts under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) on Monday.

The rankings were prepared using the Swachh Vayu Survekshan Framework, introduced in 2022-23. The framework assesses measures taken by cities to address major sources of air pollution, including road dust, vehicle emissions and industrial pollution.

Read more – India's coastal security to see serious action in next two years: Amit Shah says MHA will move forward 'very seriously'

Lucknow tops clean air ranking among big cities

Lucknow secured the top position among cities and towns with populations of more than 10 lakh. Madhya Pradesh’s Indore and Jabalpur secured the second and third spots respectively.

Read more – Fourth transfer in one year: Woman IAS officer 'transferred within 50 days' says 'conspirators always win'; alleges 'rebellion' by subordinates

At the other end of the ranking, Rajasthan’s Kota, West Bengal’s Kolkata and Tamil Nadu’s Madurai were among the lowest performers in this population category.

Rourkela leads cities with 3 lakh to 10 lakh population

Odisha’s Rourkela emerged as the top-ranked city in the category covering populations between three lakh and 10 lakh.

Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad came second, followed by Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur. Bihar’s Gaya, Karnataka’s Gulbarga and Punjab’s Jalandhar were at the bottom of the category.

Kalinga Nagar tops smaller city category

Kalinga Nagar in Odisha claimed the first position among cities and towns with populations below three lakh. It was followed by fellow Odisha cities Angul and Talcher.

Nagaland’s Kohima, Punjab’s Dera Bassi and Meghalaya’s Byrnihat were ranked among the lowest performers in this category.

Justice Prakash Shrivastava highlights importance of clean air

Justice Prakash Shrivastava, former Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court and chief guest at the event, said the results showed that improving air quality was an achievable goal.

“The awardees have shown that clean air is not an aspiration but a practical goal that can be achieved with proper planning and ground-level implementation,” he said.

He also stressed that economic development and environmental protection could work together.

“Development and environmental conservation are not at cross purposes but can go together while maintaining the quality of life for the citizens. It is the responsibility of each citizen to ensure that generations to come are able to live in a clean environment,” he added.

NCAP records improvement in PM10 levels

The event also highlighted progress under the National Clean Air Programme, a flagship initiative aimed at improving air quality across 130 cities in 24 states and Union Territories.

According to the Union environment ministry, the programme has delivered positive results in reducing PM10 levels in 2025-26 compared with the 2017-18 baseline.

Of the 130 cities covered under NCAP, 108 recorded an improvement in PM10 levels. As many as 72 cities achieved reductions of more than 20 per cent, while 26 recorded reductions of more than 40 per cent.

The ministry also said 14 cities had met the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

New NCAP compendium showcases air pollution control measures

A Compendium of Best Management Practices under NCAP was also released during the event. It documents air quality improvement measures adopted by cities and state pollution control boards.

The practices cover several areas, including road dust management, vehicular pollution, industrial emissions, solid waste and construction and demolition waste management.

The ministry said the collection could help other cities and pollution control boards replicate successful approaches.

“These best practices would be helpful in replicating them by other cities and SPCBs,” the ministry said.

Inputs from PTI

Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source
Add Now!

(You can now subscribe to our WhatsApp channel)

(You can now subscribe to our WhatsApp channel)

Read More News on
Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Awards 2026National Clean Air ProgrammeLucknow clean air rankingRourkela Swachh Vayu SurveyKalinga Nagar clean airNCAP India air pollutionSwachh Vayu Sarvekshan rankingPM10 levels Indiaclean air cities Indiaair quality improvement India

Enter search text:

Continue reading with one of these options:
Limited Access
Free
Login to get access to some exclusive stories

& personalised newsletters
Login Now

Unlimited Access
Starting @ Rs120/month
Get access to exclusive stories, expert opinions &

in-depth stock reports
Subscribe Now

Unlock Access to All Exclusives with ETPrime FREE TRIAL

15 Days Free: Unlock All ETPrime Exclusives, Market Tools & ePapers

Trial offer expiring in00 : 05 : 00

I'd rather pay ₹2599 now

Uh-oh! This is an exclusive story available for selected readers only.

Worry not. You’re just a step away.

Prime Account Detected!

It seems like you're already an ETPrime member with

Log out of your current logged-in account and log in again using your ET Prime credentials to enjoy all member benefits.

Unlock ETPrime's Exclusive Stories Today!

Subscribe to gain powerful insights on business, stock market and industry trends.

Big Price Drop! Flat 40% Off

Student Only Offer

Already a Member? Sign In now

Already a Member? Sign In now
Already a Member? Sign In now

Offer Exclusively For You

Save up to Rs. 700/-

ON ET PRIME MEMBERSHIP

Avail Offer

Offer Exclusively For You

Get 1 Year Free

With 1 and 2-Year ET prime membership

Avail Offer

Offer Exclusively For You

Get 1 Year Free

With 1 and 2-Year ET prime membership

Avail Offer

Offer Exclusively For You

Get Flat 40% Off

Then ₹ 1749 for 1 year

Avail Offer

Offer Exclusively For You

ET Prime at ₹ 49 for 1 month

Then ₹ 1749 for 1 year

Avail Offer

Special Offer

Get flat 40% off on ETPrime

Avail Offer
Avail Offer

Claim NowAlready a Member? Sign In now

Need Assistance?

Connect with an ETPrime expert for personalized support and guidance

+91 9484700004

' + h3 + '

' + h4 + '

' + listing + '

What’s Included with

ETPrime Membership

1Exclusive Insights That Matter

Uncover the truth with our investigative stories

Make strategic moves using the real-world case studies

Read industry-specific stories to identify emerging trends

Spot opportunities with in-depth insights that matter

Trump temper on H-1B visas is forcing Indians to do these things to stay put in US

What Adani’s US indictment means for India Inc’s overseas fundraising
Why veterans like Reliance, L&T are on acquisition spree? Aswath Damodaran has an answer.

Will China’s dollar bond sale in Saudi Arabia trump the US in financial world?
Huawei launches its own OS to compete with Google and Apple. But can it win beyond China?

The problem with lab grown diamonds
Why a falling rupee is a better option for the economy

A list of top 20 momentum stocks that have delivered massive returns in one year