Dhaka's air quality was identified as unhealthy on Wednesday morning.
With an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 159 at 08:56am, Dhaka ranked fourth on the list of cities around the world with the worst air quality.
Pakistan’s Lahore, Nepal’s Kathmandu and India’s Delhi occupied the first three spots, with AQI scores of 172, 167 and 163, respectively.
When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, between 151 and 200 is unhealthy, between 201 and 300 is said to be 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 grappled with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in the winter and improves during the monsoon.
