Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Guwahati is the top-performing city in the Northeast for air quality. It secured 15th place with a score of 179.6 in the three to 10 lakh population category. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change released these results for the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026.
The report tracks progress on road dust, waste management, and industrial emissions. It covers 130 cities across India. Officials rank these cities after rigorous self-assessments, state reviews, and field checks by the Central Pollution Control Board.
Smaller Northeast cities fared poorly. Dimapur took 34th place with 146.5 points. Kohima finished 36th with 134.1. Silchar hit 20th, Sivasagar 25th, and Nagaon 33rd. Byrnihat landed 38th. Despite these low scores, specific wards earned praise. Kohima Ward 16, Dimapur Ward 15, and Kohima Ward 10 took home awards for their individual clean air efforts.
Guwahati faces a specific struggle. Locals call it Dhulihati, or the city of dust. Construction work, industrial haze, and shifting regional weather patterns drive pollution higher every winter. PM2.5 and PM10 levels often triple national safety limits. These problems stem from factors beyond city borders.
Experts warn that air quality is a transboundary issue. Satellite data shows pollution moves across the entire Brahmaputra Valley. The ministry noted that the "rankings offer a mixed picture for the Northeast." While some areas show improvement, the overall data highlights a clear need for stronger, sustained action on urban emissions.
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