Dhaka’s air quality plummeted to alarming levels on Friday morning, securing its place as the fifth-worst city worldwide for air pollution.
With an AQI score reaching 166 at 9:37 am, Dhaka trailed behind Thailand’s Chiang Mai, Nepal’s Kathmandu, China’s Beijing, and Myanmar’s Yangon, which held the top four spots with scores of 210, 183, 171, and 166 respectively.
An AQI reading between 150 and 200 is categorized as unhealthy, while scores exceeding 200 are deemed very unhealthy, posing significant health risks to the population. In Bangladesh, AQI assessments are based on key pollutants including particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.
The city of Dhaka has long grappled with air pollution, a concern that exacerbates during the winter months and slightly improves with the onset of the monsoon season.
Globally, air pollution remains a leading risk factor for premature death and disability. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately seven million people succumb to air pollution-related illnesses each year, primarily due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.
