Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh’s efforts to strengthen urban pollution control have earned national recognition, with Lucknow emerging as the top-performing city in the 2026 Swachh Vayu Survekshan among cities with populations of more than 10 lakh.
Lucknow scored 198 out of 200 points, edging out Indore, which secured 197 points, while Jabalpur finished third with 195 points. The achievement has brought a ₹1.50 crore cash award to the Lucknow Municipal Corporation.
The recognition comes under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The annual assessment evaluates the implementation of measures aimed at tackling major sources of air pollution rather than ranking cities solely on daily air quality or AQI.
Lucknow Jumps From 15th to First Place
The result marks a major improvement for Lucknow, which had ranked 15th in the previous 2024-25 survey.
Read Also: UP Plans Mental Health Support Cells in Every University, College Under Uniform Student Policy
The city’s performance was assessed on measures addressing several sources of pollution, including:
- Road dust
- Waste management and waste burning
- Vehicular emissions
- Construction and demolition waste
- Industrial emissions
- Public awareness and citizen participation
- Implementation of the City Clean Air Action Plan
- Improvement in annual PM10 levels
The Lucknow Municipal Corporation attributed the improvement to sustained interventions targeting road dust, waste management, transport emissions and expansion of green cover.
Paper Mill Colony Wins Best Ward Award
Lucknow’s success extended to the ward-level competition.
Ward 70 in Zone 4, Paper Mill Colony, was ranked the country’s best-performing ward in the category for wards with a population of more than 30,000. The ward received a ₹50 lakh cash award.
The ward-level assessment is part of the government’s effort to take the clean-air campaign down to the local level. The 2026 survey covered more than 7,400 wards across the country.
Electric Vehicles, Dust Control Drive Lucknow’s Performance
A number of measures undertaken by the Lucknow civic administration have contributed to its clean-air efforts.
According to reports, the city’s initiatives include:
- Deployment of electric vehicles for door-to-door waste collection
- Mechanised road sweeping to control dust
- Measures to improve scientific waste management
- Promotion of electric public transport
- Expansion of green spaces
- Steps to address vehicular emissions and traffic-related pollution
The Indian Express reported that Lucknow’s approach focused particularly on garbage management, road-dust control, electric mobility, green cover and neighbourhood-level interventions.
PM10 Levels Show Improvement, But Challenge Remains
The clean-air ranking comes despite Lucknow continuing to face air-quality challenges.
According to the Times of India, the city’s annual average PM10 concentration declined from 253 micrograms per cubic metre in 2017-18 to 135 micrograms per cubic metre in 2025-26, representing a substantial reduction. However, the level remained above the national annual standard of 60 micrograms per cubic metre.
This distinction is important because the Swachh Vayu Survekshan primarily evaluates efforts and implementation of pollution-control measures, along with improvements in pollution levels, rather than simply declaring the city with the cleanest air based on AQI.
Lucknow Beats Previous Leader Indore
Indore, which topped the million-plus category in the previous Swachh Vayu Survekshan, finished second this year with 197 points, just one point behind Lucknow.
Top three cities in the million-plus category:
- Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh — 198 points
- Indore, Madhya Pradesh — 197 points
- Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh — 195 points
Bhopal and Agra jointly occupied fourth place with 192 points each.
National Recognition for UP’s Clean-Air Efforts
The awards were presented at a Clean Air Day event at Indira Paryavaran Bhawan in New Delhi. Lucknow Mayor Sushma Kharkwal, Municipal Commissioner Gaurav Kumar, Additional Municipal Commissioner Pankaj Srivastava and Environmental Engineer Sanjeev Pradhan received the award on behalf of the city.
The recognition places Lucknow among the leading cities implementing the Centre’s clean-air strategy and highlights the role of coordinated civic measures in addressing urban pollution.
For Uttar Pradesh, the result provides a significant boost to the state’s efforts to improve urban environmental management, waste handling, cleaner transport and air-pollution control.
Read Also: UP Clears ₹286 Crore Agriculture Package to Modernise Farms, Boost Storage and Allied Sectors
