Dhaka experienced a decline in air quality on Sunday morning, registering an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 119 at 10 am. This placed the city at the 18th position among global cities with the poorest air quality.
The AQI rankings revealed that Dhaka was outranked by cities like Delhi and Mumbai in India, Lahore in Pakistan, and Shenyang in China, which secured the top four spots with AQI scores of 221, 169, 168, and 165, respectively.
An AQI ranging between 150 and 200 is classified as unhealthy, while a reading between 201 and 300 is considered very unhealthy. Readings exceeding 300 are deemed hazardous, posing severe health risks to residents.
Bangladesh determines its AQI based on five criteria pollutants, including Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and Ozone.
Dhaka has long grappled with air pollution, particularly worsening during winter and improving in the monsoon season.
Air pollution consistently emerges as a top global risk factor for death and disability. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated seven million people succumb to the effects of air pollution annually, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.
