Dhaka’s air quality hit a concerning low, securing the third spot globally for the worst air quality, registering an AQI index of 181 at 10:58 am on Wednesday.
The classification of Dhaka’s air as “unhealthy” highlights the severity of the situation, according to the air quality index.
Leading the unfortunate list, Nepal’s Kathmandu and India’s Delhi claimed the first and second positions, recording AQI scores of 257 and 238, respectively.
The AQI serves as a vital tool, indicating the cleanliness or pollution levels of a city’s air and the associated health risks for its residents.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is determined based on five key pollutants, including particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.
Dhaka’s persistent air pollution woes are evident, typically exacerbating during winter and improving marginally during the monsoon season.
The alarming statistics underscore the global crisis of air pollution, as highlighted by the World Health Organization (WHO), which attributes approximately seven million deaths annually to air pollution-related illnesses such as stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and respiratory infections.
