- The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) conferred the 5th Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Awards 2026 on 7 September 2026, observed as Swachh Vayu Diwas and the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies.
- The awards recognise the best-performing cities and urban wards for measures taken to improve air quality under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
- All 130 NCAP cities were assessed in three population categories — above 10 lakh, 3–10 lakh and below 3 lakh.
- The assessment covered measures related to road dust, solid waste management, vehicular and industrial emissions, Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste, other emission sources, and public-awareness activities.
- The process included city self-assessment, State-level approval, evaluation by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), and independent field verification.
Top-Ranked Cities – Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026
| Population Category | 1st Rank | 2nd Rank | 3rd Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Above 10 lakh | Lucknow | Indore | Jabalpur |
| 3–10 lakh | Rourkela | Firozabad & Guntur (Joint) | Amravati |
| Below 3 lakh | Kalinga Nagar | Angul | Talcher |
- The official rankings show that Guntur in Andhra Pradesh secured joint second rank in the 3–10 lakh population category with a score of 195. Among cities with populations above 10 lakh, Vijayawada ranked 8th, while Eluru ranked 4th among cities with populations below 3 lakh.
- Andhra Pradesh also received recognition at the ward level. Vijayawada Ward 60 secured second rank nationally in the ward category covering populations between 10,000 and 30,000.