Dhaka, the overcrowded capital of Bangladesh, ranked 13th among cities with the worst air quality, with an AQI score of 83 at 9am on Sunday. The air quality in Dhaka was classified as moderate, maintaining the same status as Saturday, according to the AQI index.
An AQI value between 50 and 100 indicates moderate air quality, where usually sensitive individuals should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion. Values between 101 and 150 signify unhealthy air for sensitive groups, 150 to 200 is unhealthy, 201 to 300 is very unhealthy, and readings above 301 are considered hazardous, posing serious health risks.
Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Manama in Bahrain, and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates occupied the top three spots with AQI scores of 163, 159, and 139, respectively.
The AQI is an index used to report daily air quality, informing people about how clean or polluted the air is and any associated health effects. 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, with air quality typically worsening in winter and improving during the monsoon season. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution causes an estimated seven million deaths worldwide each year, primarily due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.
