Dhaka ranked 19th globally for poor air quality with an AQI score of 86 at 8:57 am, classifying its air as “moderate,” according to the air quality index. Leading the list were India’s Delhi, Pakistan’s Lahore, and Indonesia’s Jakarta with AQI scores of 187, 184, and 181, respectively.
The AQI categorizes air quality as “moderate” when the value is between 50 and 100, “unhealthy for sensitive groups” from 101 to 150, “unhealthy” from 150 to 200, “very unhealthy” from 201 to 300, and “hazardous” at 301 and above, posing significant health risks.
The AQI in Bangladesh measures five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone. Dhaka, struggling with chronic air pollution, typically experiences worse air quality in winter, which improves 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 strokes, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.
