Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan: Jammu improves air quality ranking, Srinagar slips to 26th

Srinagar, Sep 14: Jammu has improved its position in the Centre’s 2026 clean air assessment report (Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan), while Srinagar has slipped sharply in the latest ranking of cities.
Jammu ranked 20th among cities with populations between three lakh and 10 lakh has improved from 22nd position in 2025. Its score increased to 176.5 this year from 168.2 in 2025 and 102.8 in 2023.
Srinagar has bagged 26th rank among cities with populations above 10 lakh, down from 21st position in 2025 and fourth in 2023. Its score fell to 162.6 in 2026 from 169.2 last year and 184.6 in 2023.
The Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan is conducted annually by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change under the National Clean Air Programme to assess cities on their efforts to control air pollution and implement measures under their clean-air action plans.
The assessment covers road dust, vehicular and industrial emissions, construction and demolition waste, municipal solid waste and biomass burning, among other pollution sources. It also considers public awareness measures and improvements in PM10 concentrations.
Jammu has also received recognition for three wards under the state-level awards. Greater Kailash Ward 68 was placed in Category-I, New Plot Ward 16 in Category-II and Bhagwati Nagar Ward 14 in Category-III.
The assessment comes despite major urban infrastructure spending in Srinagar under the Smart City Mission, under which projects worth around Rs 3,530 crore were approved for areas including sanitation, mobility, environment and energy.
Officials said measures such as plantation drives, electric buses and e-rickshaws, mechanical sprinkling of roads, concrete roads and riverfront improvement have been undertaken in Srinagar.
However, solid waste processing, vehicular emissions and construction and demolition waste remain areas of concern, with officials acknowledging gaps in waste management.
Among cities with populations above 10 lakh, Lucknow topped the 2026 ranking with a score of 198, followed by Indore at 197 and Jabalpur at 195.
In the three lakh to 10 lakh category, Rourkela, Firozabad and Guntur secured the first three positions. (KNO)