Bhubaneswar: Bhubaneswar secured the 4th position in the “Swachh Vayu Survekshan-2025”, a national survey on air quality improvements. The results were recently announced by the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change.Bhubaneswar’s rank was assessed in Category II, which includes cities with a population between 3 and 10 lakh. The city achieved a final score of 196.5, ranking just below cities like Amravati, Moradabad, and Jhansi. “Bhubaneswar is close to breaking into the top three. With focused efforts in sectors like road dust control, vehicular emissions, and industrial emissions, it could secure a cash award in future editions,” said urban expert Niraj Jena.City mayor Sulochana Das said this one-of-a-kind survey placed Bhubaneswar in the fourth spot. “We have intensified our efforts on air quality movement. In the days to come, we will surely improve our rank,” she said.Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation commissioner Chanchal Rana said Bhubaneswar showed strong commitment to air quality improvement. “This survey places Bhubaneswar among the top-performing mid-sized cities in India. Efforts will be strengthened in the coming days,” he said.In terms of Odisha’s performance in the national survey, in Category III cities, Angul was placed 3rd, and Talcher was ranked 4th, which caters to cities with a population of less than 3 lakh. Balasore and Kalinga Nagar also secured the 11th and 19th spot respectively in the same category. Rourkela comes 17th in Category II.Regarding best practices, the survey report outlined the efforts in Odisha on reducing pollution through several initiatives, including enhanced road paving, mechanical sweeping, waste management, greenbelt development, and promoting clean fuels in industries. Notably, the Swachh Vayu Survekshan awards are part of the efforts under the ministry of environment, forest and climate change to incentivise cities for their air quality management initiatives.In the survey, the cities are required to submit self-assessment reports, which are vetted by the Air Quality Monitoring Committees and further reviewed by the Central Pollution Control Board. Bhubaneswar, like other cities, contributes to the goal of “Clean air for all”, showcasing progress in addressing air pollution through strategic interventions.
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