Lucknow has climbed from 15th to first place in the Clean Air Survey 2026 among cities with over one million population, with the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) attributing the improvement to measures focused on road dust, waste management, vehicular emissions and increasing green cover.
It also claims to have stopped fresh waste dumping. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) announced the Swachh Vayu Survekshan (Clean Air Survey) 2026, under which Lucknow secured the top position in the national best-performing cities category under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). The city received a cash prize of ₹ 1.5 crore. Ward 70 in Zone 4 also secured the first position nationally among wards with a population of more than 30,000 and received ₹ 50 lakh. Pradhan said the assessment was conducted between June 15 and June 30 to evaluate measures taken by the civic body to reduce pollution and improve air quality. The LMC has paved 559.85 km of roads end-to-end, which it said has helped reduce dust from unpaved stretches. The LMC said Lucknow has a waste-processing capacity of 2,550 tonnes per day and scientifically processes 100% of fresh waste.
Pradhan said the LMC had secured 15th position in last year’s survey and topped the rankings this year.
Mayor Kharkwal credited the achievement to the collective efforts of the state government, elected representatives, municipal officials, employees and residents.
