Swachh Vayu Survekshan 2025
The 2025 Swachh Vayu Survekshan survey has ranked Indian cities on their efforts to improve air quality under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Indore, India’s cleanest city, topped the million-plus population category despite a slight rise in PM10 pollution. The survey focuses on real action against pollution sources rather than just pollutant levels.
Swachh Vayu Survekshan 2025
The survey evaluates cities based on implementation of pollution control measures. Indore regained first place after slipping to sixth in 2024. Jabalpur and Agra-Surat (joint third) followed. Navi Mumbai, Kanpur, Bhopal, and Allahabad ranked within the top 10. Major metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai ranked lower despite some showing PM10 reductions.
PM10 Pollution Trends
PM10 is a key air pollutant affecting health. Indore’s PM10 level rose by 1.2% from 82 μg/m3 in 2017-18 to 83 μg/m3 in 2024-25. Other cities like Chennai, Varanasi, and Bengaluru showed lower PM10 levels and better reductions. Mumbai recorded the highest PM10 decline at 44%, followed by Kolkata (37%) and Hyderabad/Bengaluru (26%). Twenty-two cities met the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) with PM10 below 60 μg/m3. Chennai was the only metro city to meet this standard.
City Rankings and Population Categories
Cities were ranked in three categories by population size. In the 3-10 lakh category, Amravati topped, followed by Jhansi and Moradabad. For cities under 3 lakh, Dewas led, followed by Parwanoo and Angul. This classification helps tailor air quality strategies to city size and resources.
Government Initiatives and Recognition
The Environment Ministry brought into light that 103 of 130 NCAP cities showed PM10 reductions. Sixty-four cities achieved at least 20% reduction, and 25 cities reached 40%. Certificates under the Ramsar Convention were awarded to Indore and Udaipur as ‘Wetland Cities’. The government launched the ‘Ek Ped Maa ke Naam’ campaign aiming to plant 75 crore trees during ‘Seva Parv’ from September 17 to October 2.
Challenges in Air Quality Improvement
Despite progress, several metro cities continue to exceed safe PM10 levels. The survey’s low weighting for PM10 reduction has allowed cities with higher pollution but strong action plans to rank higher. This raises questions about the effectiveness of current metrics in truly reflecting air quality improvements.
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