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Dehradun secured the 12th position nationally in the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026 for cities with a population between 3 lakh and 10 lakh. It shows an upward trend from 41st in year 2024 and 19th in 2025. The 5th edition of Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan awards were announced by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on SwachhvayuDiwas (September 7, 2026) under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Assessment cycle for the survey reflects actions taken up to 2025-26 compared to the 2017-18 baseline. According to recent environmental assessment by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the average ambient PM10 (particulate matter having diameter 10 micrometers or below) were approximately 41µg/m3-44µg/m3during optimal monitoring periods, successfully keeping it within the national Ambient Quality Standard and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended daily guideline (24 houraverage)of 45 µg/m3. Key focus was given to mitigation of road dust that previously accounted for 55% of the city’s overall particulate pollution and led to spot the extremely high levels of 189µg/m3at the ISBT Dehradun and 282µg/m3at Rajpur Road in previous years. Measures such as enhanced mechanical sweeping, strict vehicle checks, dust control suppression, promotion of cleaner transport and public participation led to achieve this feat which is really encouraging.
A changing picture of air pollution in the Doon Valley
At present the air-quality situation presents a mixed picture. On September 17, 2026, one widely reported monitoring source placed Dehradun’s AQI at about 79, in the Moderate category, with PM2.5 around 46 µg/m³marked above the WHO recommended average daily guideline of 15 µg/m³. On the other hand PM10 level was reported nearly 62 µg/m³. Recent readings have also fluctuated considerably: the reported AQI was 94 on September 10 and 62 on September 9 in 2026. These numbers indicate that Dehradun is not experiencing continuously severe pollution at present, although the air is not consistently within the “Good” category either.
The past: when the “green city” began to lose its advantage
The deterioration of Dehradun’s air quality is closely associated with the city’s rapid demographic and physical expansion. Rapid urbanisation, rising vehicular traffic, construction activity and changing land use have gradually altered the city’s environmental character which was once known for its greenery and as the place for recuperation and rejuvenation. Research on Dehradun has identified road and soil dust, vehicular emissions, industrial activity, mixed aerosols and biomass/anthropogenic burning among the major sources of particulate pollution. Importantly, their contribution varies with season. One detailed source-apportionment study found that soil and road dust dominated PM10 during summer, while a mixture of vehicular emissions, biomass and anthropogenic burning became particularly important during winter. Industrial activity was also an important contributor to PM2.5.The problem was intensified by the growth of traffic.At the beginning of 2026, Dehradun recorded an AQI of 316, categorised as “very poor” under the cited reporting system. PM2.5 had reached approximately 329 µg/m³ the previous day. Officials attributed the episode partly to increased vehicular movement, lack of rainfall and poor atmospheric mixing; waste and biomass burning were also highlighted. Studies of Dehradun’s road dust have found evidence of pollution associated with tyre and brake wear, fuel and lubrication residues and other traffic-related sources. Commercial areas and national highways were identified as particularly affected locations.Residential areas were also affected by domestic activity, vehicular emissions and the burning of dried leaves.Rapid growth of vehicles is a cause for concern as the vehicular traffic contributes not only through exhaust emissions but also through resuspension of settled road dust and non-exhaust particles from tyres and brakes. Road construction, excavation, poorly maintained roads and inadequate dust suspension is leading to shoot PM10 level. Open burning of biomass, household waste, stubbles at the farm land and other materials add woe to agony in this regard. This becomes especially important during winter, when atmospheric dispersion is weaker. Recent UKPCB observations have again identified biomass and solid-waste burning—including plastics, tyres and household garbage—as significant contributors during severe pollution episodes.Dehradun can experience severe pollution even without being a major industrial city.Government’s efforts seem to be insufficient as of now due to the challenges mentioned, yet the motive on the part of the Government is clear and that is appreciable.
Has the situation improved?
According to the magazine ‘Down to Earth’ in 1999, small cities/ towns such as Dehradun and Gajraula in UP were amongst the top polluted urban localities in India. There is evidence ofimprovement since then, although it should be interpreted cautiously.Research evaluating the National Clean Air Programme found a 12% reduction in PM10 concentration in Dehradun between 2019 and 2021. The study associated the improvement with measures addressing vehicle emissions, dust, construction and demolition, biomass burning, waste management, green cover and cleaner fuels.Reported measures included construction of parks, plantation of one lakh trees, cycle tracks and footpaths, dust-suppression fountains, road-water sprinkling, e-auto tippers and composting machines.These developments suggest that the city has moved beyond merely measuring pollution towards a broader air-quality-management programme.The plan called for strengthening the air-quality monitoring network, including additional Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS), along with capacity building and development of technical expertise.It also proposed emission inventories and source-apportionment studies so that pollution-control measures could be based on the actual contribution of different sources rather than assumptions.The action plan proposed city-wide drives to identify and control polluting vehicles, involving the Transport Department, Traffic Police and municipal authorities. It also contemplated the use of sensors and enforcement mechanisms.Road sprinkling, better road cleaning, dust suppression and improved management of construction material are among the measures promoted under the clean-air programme.The NCAP framework has emphasised compliance with dust-control requirements at construction and demolition sites, including covering materials and controlling the movement of dust-generating material.Improved collection of municipal waste, restrictions on open burning and mechanised waste management are important components of the strategy.The use of e-auto tippers and composting machines has been reported among Dehradun’s recent measures.Plantation, green belts and development of parks have received increasing attention.Cleaner and cooler environment in the vicinity of Forest Research Institute (FRI) is privy to it. However, greenery should not be viewed as a substitute for emission reduction. Trees can provide important environmental benefits, but they cannot compensate indefinitely for uncontrolled emissions from vehicles, construction and burning.Public advisories encouraging vehicle fitness, reduced private-vehicle use and reporting of pollution-related complaints have also formed part of the programme. A web-based mechanism for public complaints has been reported under the NCAP initiatives.
From pollution control to pollution prevention
Dehradun’s air quality will depend not only on pollution-control equipment but also on urban planningwith a move from a largely reactive approach to a preventive one.Instead of waiting for AQI to reach 200, 300 or more before taking action, the city could establish an early-warning and graded-response system based on meteorology and pollution forecasts.Five areas deserve particular attention.1. Polluttion should be controlled at sourceby treating separately the vehicle emissions, construction dust, road dust and open burning because they require different interventions.2. Protecting the city’s natural ventilation and green areasby effectiveurban planning that considers the ecological and climatic role of open spaces, forests, water bodies and natural drainage/ventilation corridors.3. Making public transport genuinely attractivewith the provision ofcleaner buses, better last-mile connectivity, walking infrastructure and cycling facilities thatcan reduce dependence on private vehicles.4. Making construction companies accountablefor dust-control by issuing advisory and proper periodic checks and enforcement drives. 5. Publish neighbourhood-level information through AQI level indicators at the wards or at the busy neighbourhoods so that the residents understandthe gravity of the problem throughthe pollution hotspots and it also enables authorities to target interventions accordingly.
The ray of hope
Dehradun’s experience offers a broader lesson for Himalayan cities.The assumption that a hill city automatically possesses clean air is no longer valid. Urbanisation can transform a naturally favourable environment into a pollution trap if vehicle growth, construction, waste generation and land-use change are not managed carefully.At the same time, Dehradun’s experience also demonstrates that improvement is possible. The reported reduction in PM10 following NCAP interventions, strengthening of monitoring, dust-control measures, plantation, improved waste management and the city’s improved standing in the 2025 clean-air survey indicate that coordinated interventions can make a measurable difference.But the severe pollution episode at the beginning of 2026 provides an equally important warning: progress in annual or average indicators does not eliminate the risk of short-duration pollution episodes.The objective, therefore, should not be simply to achieve a better AQI ranking. The real objective should be to ensure that residents of Dehradun can breathe clean air throughout the year.
Conclusion
Dehradun’s air-quality journey is a story of transformation.A city once identified primarily with forests, educational institutions and a pleasant climate has become a rapidly expanding urban centre. Its pollution problem has been created by a combination of local emissions—vehicles, dust, construction, waste and burning—and regional atmospheric influences.The response has also evolved. Air-quality monitoring has expanded, the National Clean Air Programme has provided a framework, vehicle and dust-control measures have been initiated, waste management has improved, and plantation and public-awareness programmes have expanded.The present AQI readings suggest that Dehradun can achieve moderate air quality under favourable conditions. Yet the severe winter episodes show that the underlying problem has not disappeared.The challenge before Dehradun is therefore not merely to clean its air after pollution occurs, but to redesign urban growth so that pollution is prevented at its source.For a Himalayan city whose identity is inseparable from its natural environment, clean air should be treated not simply as an environmental target but as an essential component of urban development.
Dr Prashant Thapliyal
Associate Professor
Army Cadet College
IMA Dehradun
