PUNE: Pune has secured the 12th position nationally in the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026, conducted under the Centre’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), scoring 183 out of 200 in the category of cities with a population of more than one million, officials said on Thursday.Pune secures 12th position nationally in Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026 conducted under Centre’s NCAP scoring 183 out of 200 in the category of cities with population of more than one million. ((PIC FOR REPRESENTATION))Thane ranked seventh, followed by Navi Mumbai at ninth and Nagpur at 10th, placing three Maharashtra cities ahead of Pune. Mumbai ranked 28th.The ranking comes despite Pune facing mounting challenges from a growing vehicle population, traffic congestion, road dust, large-scale construction activity and industrial emissions.“Pune’s performance in the national clean air survey is significant, but the city still faces major challenges in controlling road dust, construction pollution and vehicle emissions,” said a senior official, requesting anonymity.The survey assesses the measures taken by cities to curb air pollution, including the implementation of city action plans, dust control, traffic management, construction-related pollution, waste management, industrial and vehicular emissions, and public awareness.Pune’s performance also reflects the civic body’s increasing use of technology to monitor dust pollution from construction sites. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), in collaboration with World Resources Institute (WRI) India, has introduced sensor-based air quality monitoring at construction sites with a built-up area of 5,000 square metres or more.Ganesh Sonune, deputy commissioner and head of the civic disaster management cell, said the system monitors PM10 and PM2.5 levels and generates alerts when dust levels rise.“Civic officials can use the clean-air portal to monitor sensors, violations and zone-wise performance,” he said.Meanwhile, two Pune civic wards — Kothrud-Bavdhan and Dhankawdi-Katraj-Ambegaon — have also been selected for state-level awards under Category 1.Officials said the ranking would put the focus on the PMC’s efforts to sustain and strengthen measures to reduce particulate pollution, particularly PM10 and PM2.5, as the city continues to expand.