The air quality index (AQI) rating for Jalandhar was the worst in Punjab, making it the most polluted city, the day the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) was inaugurated in the city.

The average AQI in Jalandhar was recorded at 260, placing the city in the “poor” category. An AQI range between 0 and 50 is rated as “good” and “moderate” if between 50 and 100. The machine was installed at the Circuit House to measure real-time ambient air quality. The other cities that already have a monitoring station are Amritsar, Ludhiana, Mandi Gobindgarh and Patiala. The AQI rating of all these cities was way lower. The average AQI in Jalandhar was 260 (out of 500), in Amritsar 143, Ludhiana 114 and Patiala 101.

WHO data shows 14 Indian cities are among 20 most pollutedNine out of 10 people on the planet breathe polluted airToxic air kills 7 million each year, mostly in Asian, African nationsNew Delhi, Gwalior, Varanasi and Kanpur were among the 14 Indian cities that figured in a list of 20 most polluted cities in the world, based on their toxic air quality, data released by World Health Organization showed. On PM 2.5, most polluted city is Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency. Major sources of air pollution from particulate matter - pollutants like sulphate, nitrate and black carbon - include inefficient use of energy by households, industry, agriculture and transport sectors, and coal-fired power plants. The study found that "around seven million people die every year from exposure to fine particles in polluted air".