In the present study, an effort has been made to study the air quality at 8 locations in Allahabad city in terms of concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur dioxides (SO2), suspended particulate matter (SPM) and respirable dust particulate matter (RPM). The studies have been carried out during normal traffic flow times. The study also focuses on some key air pollution problems arising from vehicular pollution. It examines the utility of an air pollution index (API) for tackling air pollution problems. The approach for the selection of air pollution monitoring stations, its monitoring programme, data analysis and results are discussed. The Oak Ridge air quality index (ORAQI) was used to evaluate the relative ranking of overall air quality at different study locations of the city. © 2005 - Kalpana Corporation.