On Tuesday morning, Dhaka’s air quality was marked as “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” positioning it as the sixth most polluted city in the world. The city recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 121 at 9:38 am, placing it just behind Jakarta, Kinshasa, and Lahore, which led the list with scores of 163, 168, and 154, respectively.
An AQI between 150 and 200 is labeled “unhealthy,” while readings of 201-300 are considered “very unhealthy,” and anything above 301 is deemed “hazardous,” posing severe health risks.
In Bangladesh, AQI is determined by measuring five pollutants: Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and Ozone. Dhaka has been struggling with significant air pollution, particularly worsening in winter and slightly improving during the monsoon season.
Globally, air pollution is a major health concern, contributing to millions of deaths annually, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This environmental hazard leads to increased rates of stroke, heart disease, chronic respiratory conditions, lung cancer, and severe infections.
