Lucknow has emerged as India’s city with the cleanest air, scoring 198 out of 200 points in the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan-2026 survey by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The results, announced on Monday, pushed Indore to second place after the city held the top spot for eight straight years with 197 points. Delhi ranked a poor 21st while Mumbai languished at 28th among 48 cities evaluated in the top category.
Category 1 Rankings for Cities Above 10 Lakh Population
The survey divided cities with over 10 lakh residents into 48 contestants. Lucknow secured the top spot with near-perfect marks while Indore settled for second and Jabalpur finished third. Delhi managed only 172 points for the 21st position and Mumbai scored 160.8 points to rank 28th. Patna placed 16th with 178 points and Ranchi stood 27th with 162.5 points. The CPCB declared these findings on Swachh Vayu Diwas 2026 marking a comprehensive assessment of urban air quality across India.
Category 2 Rankings for Cities Between 3 Lakh and 10 Lakh
Rourkela topped the second category with 198.5 out of 200 points. Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh and Guntur in Andhra Pradesh shared second place with 195 points each. Amravati in Maharashtra secured third spot with 194 points. The category included cities with populations ranging between three lakh and ten lakh residents showing significant regional variation in air quality standards.
Category 3 Rankings for Cities Below 3 Lakh Population
Odisha dominated the small city category with Kalinganagar claiming first place at 198.5 points. Angul finished second with 196.5 points and Talcher took third with 193.5 points. Bhubaneswar and Jhansi tied at 193.5 points for fourth and fifth positions. The category covered cities with fewer than three lakh residents and highlighted Odisha’s strong environmental performance in smaller urban centers.
Delhi Lags Far Behind in Clean Air Rankings Despite Efforts
India’s capital Delhi scored only 172 out of 200 points and ranked 21st even after a decade of pollution control measures. Ghaziabad and Faridabad in the NCR region outperformed Delhi with Ghaziabad at 184 points for 9th place and Faridabad at 179.1 points for 14th place. The survey makes clear that Delhi still has a long road ahead before breaking into the top ten clean air cities in the country.
