Dhaka has ranked third on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality with an AQI index of 169 at 8:55am on Thursday morning.
Dhaka’s air was classified as “unhealthy” for the second consecutive day, according to the air quality index.
India’s Delhi and Thailand’s Chiang Mai occupied the first two spots on the list, with AQI scores of 179 and 170, 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.
Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognized as increasing a person’s chances of developing a heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.
