For a city known for its traffic, construction dust and rapidly expanding neighbourhoods, Lucknow’s first-place finish in the Swachh Vayu Survekshan-2026 is more than a number on a national ranking. It reflects an attempt to tackle the everyday sources of pollution that residents encounter on their roads, outside their homes and in their neighbourhoods.The city scored 198 points to emerge No. 1 among cities with a population of more than 10 lakh, narrowly ahead of Indore (197) and Jabalpur (195).Officials associated with the effort maintain that the result reflects a multi-pronged approach targeting road dust, vehicle emissions, open waste burning and waste management. The interventions range from electric vehicles used for both public transport and garbage collection to mechanised sweeping machines and vertical gardens.Mayor Sushma Kharakwal said around 90 per cent of the city’s door-to-door garbage collection vehicles are now electric, with the remaining vehicles expected to be replaced over the next six months.From garbage collection to electric mobilityOne of the most visible changes has been the increasing use of electric vehicles. Around 1,100 such vehicles are being used for door-to-door waste collection, ensuring regular lifting of garbage while reducing emissions from the municipal fleet, officials said.The city has also expanded its electric public transport fleet, with 140 electric buses currently operating.Also in Explained | Why egg, chicken and milk prices are unlikely to fall soonTo support the transition, 12 charging stations with 916 charging points have been established across Lucknow, officials said.A direct fight against road dustStory continues below this adThe Municipal Corporation has deployed 97 electric mechanised sweeping machines for road cleaning.At the same time, about 559.85 km of roads have been paved end-to-end, reducing exposed surfaces and helping prevent dust from being thrown into the air by passing traffic.Officials said the combination of paving and regular mechanised sweeping has been important in controlling re-suspended road dust.Stopping garbage from becoming smokeThe administration has also sought to address pollution generated by the burning of municipal waste.Story continues below this adLucknow now has arrangements for 100% scientific processing of municipal waste, with a capacity of 2,550 tonnes per day, officials said.Preventing open waste burning was also an important component of the effort, with the Municipal Corporation seeking to ensure that garbage collected from homes does not end up being burnt in open plots or by the roadside, releasing smoke and fine particles into the air.Expanding green cover in a growing cityAs Lucknow grows, creating new green spaces within a densely built urban environment is becoming increasingly difficult.Also Read | Fading alphabet to fresh paint: How the Dogri script is returning to Jammu’s signboardsThe city’s clean-air strategy has therefore included Miyawaki plantations and vertical gardens, adding greenery in spaces where conventional large-scale plantations may not always be possible.Story continues below this adOfficials maintain that the idea was not only to improve the appearance of the city but also to expand its green cover.The clean-air battle reaches the mohallaPerhaps one of the more significant aspects of Lucknow’s performance is that the effort has moved beyond city-level plans to the ward level. Lucknow’s Ward-70 in Zone-4 was ranked No. 1 nationally among urban wards with a population of more than 30,000.At this level, seemingly small interventions mattered — preventing garbage burning, keeping roads and local stretches free of dust, and ensuring that waste does not pile up.The challenge now is to sustain these measures and translate the No. 1 ranking into a long-term reduction in particulate pollution even as the city expands.