Dhaka’s air quality took a concerning turn on Wednesday morning, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 144 at 8:55am. This places Dhaka as the eighth city worldwide with the poorest air quality.
Leading the list were Thailand’s Chiang Mai, India’s Delhi, and Nepal’s Kathmandu, with AQI scores of 219, 177, and 169 respectively. When the AQI hovers between 101 and 150, it is deemed unhealthy for sensitive groups.
The AQI serves as a crucial indicator of daily air quality, guiding residents on potential health risks associated with pollution. In Bangladesh, the AQI considers five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.
Dhaka’s struggle with air pollution, particularly evident during winter, underscores the pressing need for mitigation measures. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that air pollution, claiming an estimated seven million lives annually, poses severe health risks, including stroke, heart disease, and respiratory ailments.
