Dhaka's air quality was moderate on Wednesday morning.
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 84 at 9:14am, Dhaka ranked 23rd on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.
South Africa's Johannesburg, Saudi Arabia's Riyadh and China's Wuhan occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 181, 164 and 132, respectively.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered good and between 50 and 100 is considered moderate.
Scores between 150 and 200 are considered unhealthy, between 201 and 300 are very unhealthy and a reading of 301+ is considered hazardous, posing serious health risks to residents.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and ozone.
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.
Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.
