Dhaka, the overcrowded capital city of Bangladesh, has ranked 38th on the list of cities with the worst air quality with an AQI score of 87 at 9am, Sunday morning.
On Sunday, the air quality was classified as "moderate," but an unhealthy AQI level has persisted over the past few days, posing a continued health risk.
When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 50 and 100, air quality is considered "moderate," and sensitive individuals should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
An AQI between 101 and 150 is classified as "unhealthy for sensitive groups," while levels between 150 and 200 are deemed "unhealthy."
An AQI reading between 201 and 300 is labeled "very unhealthy," and any value over 301 is considered "hazardous," posing serious health risks to residents.
Pakistan’s Lahore, India’s Delhi and China’s Beijing occupied the first, second and third spots on the list, with AQI scores of 753, 257 and 218 respectively.
The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, indicates how clean or polluted the air is in a specific city and highlights potential health concerns for residents.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five key pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone.
Dhaka has long struggled with air pollution, with air quality typically deteriorating to unhealthy levels in winter and improving during the monsoon season.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is responsible for an estimated seven million deaths worldwide each year, largely due to increased rates of stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.
