India’s Cleanest Indore Loses Top Spot by 1 Point to UP’s Lucknow in Clean Air Survey

Indore, India’s cleanest city, slipped to second place in the 2026 Clean Air Survey, with officials attributing the drop to higher PM10 levels. Lucknow claimed the top spot with 198 points, while Indore scored 197.

Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava said Indore lost a point because it lagged behind in meeting PM10 standards. Following the results, the city administration announced plans to intensify measures to curb air pollution.

The rankings were announced on Monday at the fifth Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Awards. Cities and towns were assessed under the Swachh Vayu Survekshan Framework introduced in 2022-23, which evaluates measures to control road dust, vehicular emissions, industrial pollution and other sources of poor air quality.

Lucknow tops, Jabalpur third

Among cities with populations above one million, Lucknow led with 198 out of 200 points, followed by Indore with 197. Jabalpur secured third place with 195 points, while Bhopal and Agra jointly ranked fourth with 192 points each.

Indore had topped the previous edition with a perfect score of 200.

In the 3-10 lakh population category, Odisha’s Rourkela emerged as the top performer with 198.5 points, followed by Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad and Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur.

Lucknow, Rourkela and Kalinga Nagar were also recognised by the Union Environment Ministry for their efforts under the National Clean Air Programme.

Indore plans stronger pollution-control measures

Bhargava said the administration would work throughout the year to reduce pollution caused by traffic and industries, with particular focus on PM10 levels. Indore currently has the highest vehicle density in Madhya Pradesh.

Measures including the “Red Light On, Engine Off” campaign at traffic signals, promotion of electric vehicles and expansion of e-bus services will be strengthened to reduce vehicular emissions.

Officials, however, said Indore’s overall air quality remains strong. Data from the Indore Municipal Corporation showed PM10 levels have declined by more than 15% compared with previous years.

The city’s average Air Quality Index remained below 200 on more than 98% of the days during the evaluation period for the Clean Air Survey, according to the data.