5th Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan

Why in News?

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) organised Swachh Vayu Diwas on 7 September 2026 to mark the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. On the occasion, the Ministry announced the best-performing cities and wards under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) based on the 5th Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan. Lucknow topped the million-plus population category, followed by Indore and Jabalpur.

About Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan

The Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Framework, introduced in 2022–23, evaluates cities on measures to control air pollution from road dust, solid waste management, vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, construction and demolition waste, other sources such as DG sets and commercial establishments, and Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities.

The survey covers 130 cities under three population categories—below 3 lakh, 3–10 lakh and above 10 lakh. The assessment involves self-assessment by cities, approval by State-level Monitoring Committees, evaluation by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), field verification by independent committees and final selection of the best-performing cities.

In the 2026 million-plus category, Lucknow ranked first, followed by Indore and Jabalpur. Delhi and Mumbai ranked 30th and 37th, respectively. Despite topping the category, Lucknow has not yet achieved the national annual ambient air quality standard of 60 µg/m³ for PM10. However, its annual PM10 concentration declined from 250 µg/m³ in 2017–18 to 137 µg/m³, indicating substantial improvement.

About National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)

The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was launched by the MoEFCC in January 2019 to improve air quality in non-attainment and million-plus cities across India. It seeks to involve multiple stakeholders and focuses on reducing particulate pollution through city-specific action plans and monitoring.

The programme originally envisaged achieving up to 40% reduction in PM10 concentrations or attainment of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards by 2025–26. It therefore represents an important institutional framework for addressing urban air pollution through coordinated action at the national, State and city levels.

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