Air pollution in India remains a major public-interest issue even as the latest government data shows measurable improvement across several cities. The Centre’s latest assessment under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) found that 108 of 130 covered cities recorded lower PM10 levels in 2025–26 compared with their 2017–18 baseline. However, only 14 of the 130 cities met the national ambient air-quality standard for PM10, showing that progress and compliance are not the same thing.
The findings were highlighted during Swachh Vayu Diwas 2026 on September 7, when the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change released the latest results of the clean-air programme and the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan. The assessment provides a useful picture of where India has made progress and where major challenges remain.
Air Pollution in India: What the Latest 2026 Data Shows
The National Clean Air Programme was launched in 2019 to address air pollution in cities through coordinated action by central and state governments, urban local bodies and other agencies. It currently covers 130 cities across 24 States and Union Territories.
The latest government assessment compared annual PM10 concentrations in 2025–26 with levels recorded during 2017–18.
According to the Ministry of Environment, 108 of the 130 cities showed improvement in PM10 levels. Among them, 72 cities recorded reductions of more than 20%, while 26 cities recorded reductions exceeding 40%.
The government has also provided ₹16,425 crore in performance-linked grants to the 130 NCAP cities to support measures aimed at reducing pollution. These measures include controlling road dust, managing solid waste, reducing vehicular emissions, controlling industrial pollution and dealing with construction and demolition waste.
These figures indicate that pollution-control measures have produced measurable changes in many cities. At the same time, the data shows that a large gap remains between reducing pollution from an earlier baseline and achieving the national air-quality standards.
1. 108 of 130 Cities Recorded Lower PM10 Levels
The biggest finding from the latest assessment is the number of cities that recorded lower PM10 concentrations.
PM10 refers to particulate matter with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less. These particles can come from sources including road dust, construction activity, industrial emissions, vehicles and the burning of materials.
Of the 130 cities covered under NCAP, 108 recorded lower annual PM10 concentrations in 2025–26 compared with 2017–18. The government said 72 cities achieved reductions of more than 20%, while 26 cities recorded reductions of more than 40%.
This does not mean that air pollution has been eliminated in those cities. A reduction from an earlier level can still leave a city with pollution concentrations above the applicable national standard.
The distinction is important because improvement and clean air are two different measures. A city can reduce its pollution significantly while still having air-quality levels that remain above the prescribed limit.
2. Only 14 Cities Met the National PM10 Standard
The latest figures also highlight the remaining challenge.
Only 14 of the 130 NCAP cities met the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for PM10 in 2025–26. The government has specified an annual PM10 standard of 60 micrograms per cubic metre.
The number has increased from six cities in 2017–18, according to a July 2026 response provided by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in the Rajya Sabha.
The improvement is significant in terms of the number of cities meeting the standard, but it also means that most cities in the programme had not yet reached the annual PM10 standard during 2025–26.
This is one reason why air pollution in India remains an important issue for urban planning, public policy and environmental management.
3. PM2.5 Shows Another Part of the Problem
Looking only at PM10 does not provide a complete picture of air quality.
PM2.5 consists of much smaller particles, measuring 2.5 micrometres or less. Because of their small size, they can penetrate deeper into the respiratory system.
Government data presented in the Rajya Sabha in July 2026 showed that 65 of the 130 NCAP cities met the national PM2.5 standard during 2025–26. The annual standard for PM2.5 is 40 micrograms per cubic metre.
The same government response provided PM2.5 figures for several major cities. During 2025–26, Pune recorded 41 micrograms per cubic metre, Hyderabad 34, Surat 32, Delhi 102 and Mumbai 33.
These figures illustrate why different pollutants need to be considered separately. A city may perform differently against PM10 and PM2.5 standards, and annual averages do not necessarily capture every short-term pollution episode experienced by residents.
4. What Is Driving Air Pollution in India?
Air pollution in India does not come from a single source.
The Ministry of Environment has identified several contributors, including vehicle emissions, industrial emissions, dust from construction and demolition activities, dust from roads and open areas, biomass burning, municipal waste burning and landfill fires. Weather and other meteorological conditions can also influence pollution levels.
This makes pollution control a complicated task for city authorities.
For example, reducing vehicle emissions alone cannot address pollution from road dust or construction. Similarly, controlling open waste burning will not by itself solve pollution caused by traffic or industrial activity.
The latest NCAP assessment therefore covers several types of interventions. The government says cities have been taking measures involving road-dust control, vehicular pollution, industrial pollution, solid-waste management, construction and demolition waste, open burning, green cover, technology and public outreach.
5. Cities Are Using Different Approaches
The Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan is designed to assess the actions taken by cities to improve air quality. The 2026 assessment covered all 130 NCAP cities and examined measures related to pollution control and implementation of city-specific clean-air action plans.
The government says the assessment involves city-level self-evaluation, approval by state-level monitoring committees, evaluation by the Central Pollution Control Board, field verification by independent committees and selection of the best-performing cities.
The 2026 assessment also expanded attention to the local level, with ward-level Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan conducted across more than 7,400 wards, according to the government.
Among the measures highlighted by the government are mechanised road cleaning, management of waste, cleaner mobility, control of open burning and technological interventions. The objective is to address pollution closer to its sources rather than relying on a single city-wide measure.
What the Latest Data Means for India
“Air pollution is only one part of the wider environmental pressures facing Indian cities, alongside challenges such as water security and urban infrastructure.”
The latest numbers present two realities at the same time.
First, air pollution in India has shown measurable improvement in many cities when compared with the 2017–18 baseline. The government reports that 108 of 130 NCAP cities reduced their annual PM10 levels, while 26 cities recorded reductions of more than 40%.
Second, most cities covered by the programme had not reached the national annual PM10 standard in 2025–26. Only 14 cities met the standard, although this was higher than the six cities recorded in 2017–18.
The data therefore suggests that India’s clean-air efforts are producing progress, but the scale of the remaining challenge is substantial.
Air quality also varies considerably between cities and can change with season, weather, local emissions and other conditions. This means long-term improvements need to be supported by continued monitoring and action across multiple pollution sources.
For residents, the issue is not limited to the numbers reported in an annual assessment. Air quality affects commuters travelling through busy roads, children attending schools near traffic corridors, workers spending long hours outdoors and communities living near industrial or waste-burning areas.
The government has identified source-specific action as an important part of the NCAP framework. Continuing to improve monitoring, enforcing pollution-control measures and addressing emissions from transport, dust, construction, waste and industry will therefore remain important to the country’s clean-air efforts.
India’s latest air-quality data shows that progress is possible, but it also makes clear that improvement from a previous baseline is only one measure of success. The larger challenge is ensuring that more cities move from pollution reduction towards consistently meeting national air-quality standards.
