Dhaka’s air was ranked 5th most polluted among cities around the world on Saturday morning, according to the Air Quality Index (AQI).

The air in Dhaka city was categorised as ‘unhealthy’, with an AQI score of 175 at 9:00 am.

India’s Delhi, Pakistan’s Lahore, India’s Kolkata and Iraq’s Bagdad occupied the first four spots on the list, with AQI scores of 518, 344, 201 and 180 respectively.

Dhaka’s air quality ‘very unhealthy’ on Friday morning

When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.

In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants — particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and Ozone.

Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.

Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide.

As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.