On Sunday morning at 9:10 am, Dhaka found itself in the spotlight, ranking 10th globally for its deteriorating air quality, marked by an AQI score of 128. The city’s air was categorized as “unhealthy” according to the air quality index.
The top spots on the list were dominated by India’s Delhi, Thailand’s Chiang Mai, and Pakistan’s Lahore, with alarming AQI scores of 339, 226, and 194 respectively.
Understanding AQI values is crucial: between 101 and 150, air quality is deemed unhealthy for sensitive groups; between 150 and 200, it’s unhealthy; and beyond 200, it’s considered very unhealthy. Dhaka’s ongoing struggle with air pollution exacerbates during winter, showing slight improvement during the monsoon season.
The AQI serves as a vital tool, informing residents about the cleanliness or pollution levels in their city’s air and the associated health risks. In Bangladesh, the AQI considers five key pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is a severe global concern, claiming an estimated seven million lives annually. The associated health risks include stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and acute respiratory infections.
