Dhaka ranked first among 116 cities worldwide in terms of air pollution on Tuesday morning, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 234 at 8:30am, a level considered “very unhealthy.”
The situation was highlighted by Switzerland-based organization IQAir, which publishes real-time data on air pollution. The live index informs people how clean or polluted the air is in a specific city.
After Dhaka, Lahore in Pakistan ranked second with a score of 232, while Delhi in India ranked third with a score of 196.
The list of the most polluted cities was followed by Beijing in China, Kolkata in India, and Kathmandu in Nepal, respectively.
At the same time, Batam in Indonesia recorded the cleanest air in the world, with no AQI score. It was followed by Salt Lake City and San Francisco in the United States, and Canberra in Australia.
According to the AQI scale, an index between zero and 50 is considered good; 51 to 100 moderate; 101 to 150 unhealthy for sensitive groups; 151 to 200 unhealthy; 201 to 300 very unhealthy; and above 301 hazardous.
AQI data show that around 7 million people die worldwide each year due to air pollution-related causes.