India, Sept. 11 -- 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.

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...