Dhaka’s air quality dipped into the unhealthy category on Monday morning, registering an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 142 at 9 am. This placed Dhaka at the 11th spot among cities worldwide grappling with poor air quality.
Leading the list were Thailand’s Chiang Mai, Vietnam’s Hanoi, and Indonesia’s Jakarta with AQI scores of 177, 164, and 161, respectively.
An AQI score ranging between 101 and 150 is deemed unhealthy, while 201 to 300 is considered very unhealthy. Any reading exceeding 301 is categorized as hazardous, posing severe health risks to inhabitants.
In Bangladesh, the AQI calculation encompasses five key pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and Ozone.
Dhaka has long been plagued by air pollution issues, typically worsening during winter and improving in the monsoon season.
The menace of air pollution consistently ranks as one of the primary risk factors for global mortality and disability.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution claims an estimated seven million lives annually worldwide, primarily due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.
