Dhaka has recorded the worst air quality globally, with an AQI score of 187 at 8:55 AM on Thursday.
According to the air quality and pollution ranking for cities, Dhaka’s air was deemed “unhealthy.”
Following Dhaka, Pakistan’s Lahore, Egypt’s Cairo, and Bahrain’s Manama secured the second, third, and fourth positions, with AQI scores of 177, 163, and 146, respectively.
An AQI between 151 and 200 is categorized as “unhealthy,” 201-300 as “very unhealthy,” and 301-400 as “hazardous,” posing severe health risks to residents.
The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people about the cleanliness or pollution levels of a city’s air and the associated health risks.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.
Dhaka has long struggled with air pollution issues, with air quality typically worsening in winter and improving during the monsoon season.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution contributes to an estimated seven million deaths annually worldwide, primarily due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.
