Prayagraj: Prayagraj slipped six places in the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026, dropping from seventh position last year to 13th among cities with populations above 10 lakh, even as the city continued measures aimed at curbing air pollution.The city’s composite score also fell from 188 in 2025 to 180 in 2026, a decline of eight points. The 2025 survey had placed Prayagraj seventh nationally in Category I, marking a major improvement from its earlier 20th position.The latest rankings show that Prayagraj has been overtaken by Kanpur, Nagpur, Pune and Trichy, while Lucknow topped the 2026 list with 198 points.The decline comes despite the city continuing several air pollution-control initiatives.Prayagraj Municipal Corporation has been using mechanised road sweepers, water sprinklers and anti-smog guns to control road dust. The civic body has also undertaken mechanised sweeping on identified routes as part of its dust-control drive.In 2025, the city intensified road-dust management efforts by deploying additional sweeping vehicles and sprinklers, developing Miyawaki urban forests and expanding green zones. Real-time air quality monitoring was also a key component of the pollution-control strategy.The drop in ranking raises questions about the effectiveness and consistency of these interventions.The survey evaluates cities on measures targeting major pollution sources, including road dust, biomass and municipal waste burning, vehicular and industrial emissions, public awareness initiatives and overall air-quality improvement.However, there was a positive takeaway at the local level. In the 2026 ward-level rankings, Allahabad ward PRYJ31 secured the third position nationally in the category covering wards with populations between 10,000 and 30,000.
