Dhaka reported an AQI score of 152 at 9am on Friday, making it the fifth worst city globally for air quality.
According to the air quality index, Dhaka’s air was deemed “unhealthy” this morning.
The AQI categorizes air quality levels as follows: 50-100 (“moderate”), 101-150 (“unhealthy for sensitive groups”), 150-200 (“unhealthy”), 201-300 (“very unhealthy”), and 301+ (“hazardous”), which presents severe health risks.
Leading the list were Vietnam’s Hanoi, Pakistan’s Lahore, and Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Kinshasa, with AQI scores of 175, 169, and 161, respectively.
The AQI, a daily air quality report, indicates how polluted a city’s air is and the potential health effects. In Bangladesh, the AQI measures five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.
Dhaka has consistently struggled with air pollution, particularly worsening in winter and improving during the monsoon season.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is responsible for an estimated seven million deaths annually, primarily due to stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.
