On Thursday morning, Dhaka claimed the unenviable title of the city with the poorest air quality worldwide, registering an alarming AQI score of 203 at 9:01 am. The Air Quality Index labeled Dhaka’s air as “very unhealthy,” signaling grave health concerns for residents.
An AQI reading between 151 and 200 denotes unhealthy conditions, while scores surpassing 200 are classified as very unhealthy, posing hazardous risks to public health. Pakistan’s Lahore, Indonesia’s Jakarta, and Nepal’s Kathmandu trailed behind, with AQI scores of 170, 167, and 150, respectively.
The AQI serves as a crucial tool for assessing daily air quality, providing insights into potential health hazards associated with pollution. In Bangladesh, AQI calculations are based on five key pollutants, including particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.
Dhaka’s ongoing battle with air pollution persists, with the city’s air quality typically deteriorating during winter and improving during the monsoon season. However, the gravity of the situation remains concerning, considering the staggering global toll of air pollution, which claims an estimated seven million lives annually, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The fatalities predominantly result from various respiratory and cardiovascular ailments exacerbated by polluted air.
