The city of Amritsar built around the Golden Temple is representative of Sikhism world over. Founded by Sri Guru Ramdass, the fourth guru of the Sikhs in about 1574 A.D., the city gets its name from the Amrit Sarovar built by Guru Ramdass. Since then the city has inspired spirituality and simple living among millions. However, Amritsar has also made it to the list of most polluted cities in the world.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has identified a list of polluted cities, which refers to cities which violate standards prescribed by the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS, 2009). The identification is based on the ambient air quality data obtained under the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) during the period of 2011-201501. In 2018, a total of 102 cities were identified as “non-attainment cities” in India based on the non-compliance to the NAAQS 2009.