Tiruchi tops Tamil Nadu in Swachh Vayu clean air survey

Tiruchi: Tiruchi has emerged as Tamil Nadu’s best-performing city in the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026, securing 12th place nationally in the category for cities with populations exceeding one million this year.

The rankings, released by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, gave Tiruchy 183 points out of 200.

The city finished ahead of Chennai and Madurai, Tamil Nadu cities assessed in the same category.

Chennai ranked 35th with 147.7 points, while Madurai stood 39th with 132.1 points.

At the national level, Lucknow topped the category with 198 points, followed by Indore with 197. Jabalpur secured third place after receiving 195 points.

Tiruchi‘s latest position, however, is below the ninth rank it recorded in the previous year’s assessment. Thoothukudi was also featured in the survey. It secured the 35th position in the category for cities with populations below 300,000, registering a score of 142.2.

The Central Pollution Control Board conducted the survey across 131 cities covered by the National Clean Air Programme.

The exercise measures the progress made by urban administrations in tackling sources of air pollution and improving air quality.

Cities were assessed on several parameters, including reductions in particulate matter, particularly PM10, measures to control road dust, effective waste management and the expansion of air-quality monitoring infrastructure.

Public awareness initiatives and the institutional capacity of local authorities to implement clean-air programmes were also taken into account.

Officials attributed Tiruchy’s strong showing to a series of sustained civic interventions. These included better segregation of waste at source, improvements in door-to-door garbage collection and the increased use of mechanised equipment for sweeping roads and reducing accumulated dust.

The city administration also strengthened enforcement against open burning of waste, which contributes to harmful emissions and deteriorating neighbourhood air quality.

Efforts to expand green spaces and involve residents more closely in environmental programmes provided further support to the city’s clean-air campaign.

The impact of these measures is reflected in the steady reduction of PM10 levels in Tiruchy. The level fell from 88 in 2017-18 to 53 during 2025-26, indicating substantial improvement over the period.

The result places Tiruchy at the forefront of Tamil Nadu’s urban clean-air efforts. Maintaining the momentum, further lowering particulate pollution and improving its position in future national surveys will now be the city’s key challenges.

IANS