Dhaka has emerged as the global epicenter of air quality woes, securing the unfortunate title of the city with the worst air quality worldwide, as indicated by its staggering AQI score of 254 at 9 am on Thursday.
The Air Quality Index highlights Dhaka’s air as “very unhealthy,” presenting a grave threat to the health of its residents, underscoring the severity of the situation.
Ghana’s Accra, India’s Mumbai, and Nepal’s Kathmandu follow suit, occupying the second, third, and fourth positions on the list, each grappling with their own significant AQI scores of 191, 179, and 173, respectively.
Understanding the AQI value thresholds is crucial – with particle pollution triggering concerns when the AQI ranges between 101 and 150, entering unhealthy territory from 150 to 200, turning very unhealthy between 201 and 300, and reaching hazardous levels at 301+, posing substantial health risks to residents.
The AQI, a pivotal index for daily air quality reporting, serves as a crucial tool for informing the public about the cleanliness or pollution levels of a city’s air, along with potential health effects.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is determined based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone. Dhaka’s longstanding battle with air pollution is evident, with air quality consistently taking a hit during winter but showing signs of improvement during the monsoon season.
Highlighting the global scale of this issue, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that air pollution claims the lives of approximately seven million people annually. The main contributors to this alarming statistic include increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections. Urgent action is imperative to address Dhaka’s air quality crisis and mitigate its global health implications.
