Uttar Pradesh’s capital, Lucknow, has now topped the million-plus population category in the 2026 ‘Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan’, which is an annual clean air assessment survey that ranks Indian cities based on the steps and measures they take to reduce air pollution. Here’s how the other cities ranked on the list.
Lucknow Tops The Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026
Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan is not just an annual survey but also motivates urban local bodies to implement plans and take action to reduce pollution in cities. And this year, Lucknow has topped the national ranking in the survey in the category of cities with a population of more than 10 lakh. Not just that, 15 other Uttar Pradesh cities also ranked on the list under different categories. This is definitely a huge achievement for Uttar Pradesh as it shows real efforts by the state to combat air pollution.
Here is the list of Indian cities with a population of more than 10 lakhs, along with their scores under the 2026 Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan:
- Lucknow -198
- Indore -197
- Jabalpur -195
- Bhopal -192
- Agra -192
- Surat -191
- Raipur -189
- Thane -187
- Chandigarh -187
- Rajkot -187
- Ahmedabad -186
- Vijayawada -186
- Ghaziabad -184
- Navi Mumbai -184
- Nagpur -183.8
- Kanpur -183.2
- Trichy -183
- Pune – 183
- Allahabad – 180
- Faridabad – 179.7
- Vadodara – 179
- Vasai Virar – 179
- Patna – 178
- Aurangabad – 178
- Durg-Bhilai -175.3
- Dhanbad – 174.5
- Hyderabad – 174.2
- Jaipur – 174
- Visakhapatnam -172
- Delhi – 172
- Meerut – 170.5
- Asansol – 170.3
- Jodhpur – 163.2
- Amritsar – 163
- Srinagar – 162.6
- Ranchi – 162.5
- Mumbai – 160.8
- Nashik – 160.2
- Gwalior – 157
- Howrah – 152.9
- Bangalore – 152.6
- Ludhiana – 151.2
- Varanasi – 150
- Chennai – 147.7
- Jamshedpur – 147.3
- Kota – 146.3
- Kolkata – 142.2
- Madurai – 132.1
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Other Indian Cities Making Efforts To Keep Their Air Clean
The survey also ranked Indian cities working to make their air clean under Category-II, which has a population from 3 to 10 lakhs. Rourkela topped the list, with Firozabad, Guntur, Amravati, Bhubaneswar, Jhansi and Alwar following closely after.
According to The New Indian Express, this survey was conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Lucknow securing the top rank is being considered a major achievement for the state. Reportedly, the city has for the first time surpassed Indore to secure the first position in the country in clean air conservation.
Lucknow Municipal Corporation received the first prize of ₹1.5 crore in its category. The rankings reflect the joint efforts by the urban development department, local bodies and the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board.
Also Read: Despite Having Clean Air, Cities Like Chennai, B’luru & Hyd Have Higher Mortality Rate: Study
What do you think of these rankings?
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva Pro/Ashir Kumar
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Lucknow is known for its rich history, culture, and food.