Indore tops clean air survey among cities with mn-plus people

The awards are announced in three categories of cities — million plus cities, cities with a population between three and ten lakh and cities of under three lakh population — based on the 2011 population census.

The assessment was done based on submission of self-assessment report, along with supporting documents, by urban local bodies. The reports and documents were further vetted by respective Air Quality Monitoring Committee, chaired by Principal Secretary, Environment, and further examined and evaluated by CPCB for rankings.

In the second category, Amravati of Maharashtra has secured the first rank, followed by Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh) and Guntur (Andhra Pradesh).

Two Himachal Pradesh towns — Parwanoo and Kala Amb — have bagged the first two positions in the under-three-lakh population category, while Angul in Odisha secured the third place.

The cities were assessed on eight major points, including control of biomass and municipal solid waste burning, road dust, dust from construction and demolition waste, vehicular emissions, industrial emissions, public awareness, and improvement in PM10 concentration.

The 2022 survey found the first three spots in the million-plus cities being secured by cities in Uttar Pradesh — Lucknow on first position, Prayagraj on second position and Varanasi securing third.

All three cities have been ranked lower this year.