Poor Air Quality Pushes Vizag Down in Rankings

Visakhapatnam, where pollution levels are rising and causing concern, stands 21st among cities with a population above 10 lakh in the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026 rankings. The city was in 17th place last year. The survey was conducted across 130 cities based on air quality under the National Clean Air Programme.

Meanwhile, Guntur has secured the second rank at the national level among cities with a population of 3–10 lakh in the rankings released by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. Guntur shared the second rank with Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh and bagged Rs 25 lakh out of the Rs 50 lakh cash prize.

Representatives of the Guntur Municipal Corporation received the award from National Green Tribunal Chairperson Prakash Srivastava, Air Quality Management Commission Chairperson Rajesh Verma, Union Environment and Forest Secretary Tanmay Kumar, and CPCB Chairman Amandeep Garg at the awards ceremony held in Delhi on Monday.

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This article is written by Senior Journalist Lakkoju Nagesh Babu