Dhaka's air quality was to be unhealthy for sensitive groups Sunday morning.
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 108 at 9am, Dhaka ranked seventh on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality, according to IQAir.
Iraq’s Baghdad, Qatar’s Doha and Indonesia’s Jakarta occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 165, 164 and 162, respectively.
An AQI score between 50 and 100 is considered moderate with acceptable air quality. However, there may be a health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
In Bangladesh, the AQI score is based on five criteria pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and ozone.
Dhaka has long grappled with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in the winter and improves during the monsoon.