Indore loses clean-air crown in 2026, winner from Uttar Pradesh takes top spot

Indore has slipped from the top spot to second in the 2026 Clean Air Survey, with the local administration attributing the one-point difference to its performance on PM10 levels. Madhya Pradesh’s commercial capital scored 197 out of 200 among cities with populations above one million, while Lucknow took first place with 198 points.

Jabalpur ranked third with 195 points, while Bhopal and Agra shared fourth place with 192 points each.

Indore had secured a perfect 200 out of 200 in the 2025 survey but fell one point short of retaining the position this year.

PM10 gap costs Indore the top spot

Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava told PTI on Tuesday that the city lost a point because it lagged behind Lucknow on PM10 standards.

“We scored one point lower than Lucknow in the survey due to (the city) lagging behind in PM10 particle standards,” Bhargava said.

Indore has the highest vehicle density in Madhya Pradesh, according to the mayor, who said the administration would pursue measures throughout the year to reduce pollution linked to transport and industry.

The planned measures include strengthening the “Red Light On, Engine Off” awareness campaign at traffic signals, encouraging greater use of electric vehicles and expanding the operation of e-buses.

The civic administration also plans to move all vehicles used for door-to-door garbage collection towards electric vehicles and encourage factories to shift from diesel to cleaner fuels such as CNG, Bhargava said.

PM10 remains above national annual standard

PM10, or Particulate Matter-10, refers to airborne particles measuring 10 micrometres or less in diameter. Such particles can come from vehicle emissions, road dust and industrial activity and can enter the respiratory system when inhaled.

Reducing PM10 levels is among the parameters considered under the Clean Air Survey. The framework, introduced in 2022-23, assesses measures taken by urban local bodies to address sources including road dust, vehicle emissions and industrial pollution.

Despite missing the top position by one point, officials said Indore’s broader air-quality performance remains strong.

Data from the Indore Municipal Corporation showed that the city’s PM10 concentration has declined by more than 15 per cent compared with previous years. The annual average PM10 level this year was around 81 micrograms per cubic metre.

The National Ambient Air Quality Standards prescribe an annual average PM10 limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre for residential, industrial and rural areas.

Indore records moderate-or-better AQI on most days

According to municipal corporation data, Indore’s average Air Quality Index remained below 200 on more than 98 per cent of the days covered during the Clean Air Survey evaluation period.

Under the AQI classification, a reading between 0 and 50 is considered “Good”, 51 to 100 “Satisfactory”, 101 to 200 “Moderate”, 201 to 300 “Poor”, 301 to 400 “Very Poor” and 401 to 500 “Severe”.

To tackle dust pollution, civic authorities said mechanical sweeping is carried out on about 700 kilometres of roads every day. Measures are also being taken to manage and dispose of construction waste.

Lucknow among top NCAP performers

Lucknow, along with Rourkela and Kalinga Nagar in Odisha, was recognised as a top performer under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). The Union environment ministry honoured the cities at the fifth edition of the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Awards on Monday.

The nationwide ranking was conducted using the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Framework released in 2022-23, which evaluates efforts to tackle air-pollution sources including road dust, vehicle emissions and industrial pollution.

Indore continues to hold a separate record in the central government’s National Sanitation Survey, having topped that competition for eight consecutive times.