Ludhiana Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today

Punjab, India — Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) and PM2.5

Ludhiana AQI Right Now

125

Category: Moderate

Dominant Pollutant: pm10

PM2.5: 67.32 µg/m³

PM10: 136.53 µg/m³

Last updated: 2026-03-24 — Data source: Google Air Quality API (NAQI). Live NAQI values load when you visit the page.

Ludhiana Pollutant Levels

PollutantConcentration
PM2.567.32 µg/m³
PM10136.53 µg/m³
O₃ (Ozone)20.51 µg/m³
NO₂20.87 µg/m³
SO₂4.4 µg/m³
CO730.44 µg/m³

Health Advisory — Ludhiana

Moderate: Breathing discomfort to people with lungs, asthma and heart diseases.

Health Impact — Ludhiana

Cigarette Equivalent: Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 3.1 cigarettes per day (based on current PM2.5 levels).

Life Expectancy Impact: Sustained exposure at this PM2.5 level could reduce life expectancy by 0.37 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).

Health Recommendations for Ludhiana

  • General Population: People with respiratory or heart conditions should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
  • Elderly: Reduce prolonged outdoor activities.
  • Children: Reduce prolonged outdoor play.
  • Lung Disease Patients: Avoid prolonged outdoor exertion.

Understanding Ludhiana Air Quality

Ludhiana, Punjab's largest city and India's hosiery capital, faces a pronounced seasonal air quality crisis driven by the convergence of industrial emissions and agricultural stubble burning. The city's dense industrial base - thousands of small-scale hosiery, bicycle parts, auto components, and dyeing units - produces year-round baseline emissions, but the October–November paddy stubble burning season transforms air quality from poor to hazardous.

During peak stubble burning weeks in late October and early November, PM2.5 in Ludhiana can exceed 400 µg/m³ as farmers in surrounding districts burn millions of tonnes of paddy straw. Combined with cool temperatures, high humidity, and near-zero wind speeds, the city becomes engulfed in a dense grey haze that reduces visibility to under 100 metres. NAQI readings during these episodes frequently reach the Severe category, rivalling Delhi's worst days.

The industrial concentration in Ludhiana is remarkable for a city its size - the Focal Point, Gill Road, and Haibowal industrial areas house over 10,000 small and medium units, many operating older furnaces and boilers without modern emission controls. The city's vehicle fleet, congested roads, and construction activity add vehicular and fugitive dust emissions. Punjab Pollution Control Board has pushed for Happy Seeder adoption to reduce stubble burning, with partial success, but manufacturing emission controls remain a work in progress.

Primary Pollution Sources

  • Industrial emissions (hosiery, bicycle, auto parts)
  • Stubble burning (paddy residue)
  • Vehicle exhaust
  • Construction dust
  • Brick kilns

Geography: Punjab plains on the Sutlej River; flat agricultural terrain with severe Oct–Nov stubble burning impact

Peak pollution months: October, November, December, January

Frequently Asked Questions — Ludhiana

How badly does stubble burning affect Ludhiana?

Severely. Ludhiana sits in the heart of Punjab's paddy belt, and during October–November, surrounding fields burn millions of tonnes of crop residue. PM2.5 can spike above 400 µg/m³ within hours when burning peaks coincide with low winds and temperature inversions, creating 2–3 week episodes of Severe+ air quality.

What industries pollute Ludhiana air?

Ludhiana houses over 10,000 small and medium manufacturing units - hosiery/knitwear, bicycle and auto parts, steel re-rolling, electroplating, and dyeing units. Many lack modern emission controls. The Focal Point, Gill Road, and Haibowal industrial clusters are the highest-emission zones.

Air Quality in Nearby Cities