Dhaka ranked 10th on the global list of cities with the worst air quality, registering an AQI score of 132 at 9:05 am on Saturday. According to the Air Quality Index, Dhaka’s air was deemed “unhealthy for sensitive groups”.
Uganda’s Kampala, India’s Delhi, and Indonesia’s Jakarta held the top three spots, with AQI scores of 177, 169, and 169, respectively.
The AQI categorizes air quality based on particle pollution: a score of 50-100 is “moderate”, 101-150 is “unhealthy for sensitive groups”, 150-200 is “unhealthy”, 201-300 is “very unhealthy”, and 301+ is “hazardous”, posing severe health risks.
The AQI, which reports daily air quality, helps people understand how clean or polluted the air is and its potential health impacts. 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, which typically worsens in winter and improves during the monsoon season.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution contributes to an estimated seven million deaths annually, primarily from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.
