Dhaka topped the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality for the second consecutive day with an AQI score of 176 at 8:58 on Wednesday, with its air being classified as unhealthy.
An AQI score between 151 and 200 is considered unhealthy, 201-300 is very unhealthy and 301+ is considered hazardous, posing severe health risks to residents.
Indonesia’s Jakarta, India’s Kolkata and Pakistan's Lahore occupied the second, third and fourth spots on the list, with AQI scores of 163, 158 and 154, respectively.
The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five 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.
Per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.
