Dhaka's air quality was marked as ‘moderate’ on Friday morning (September 29, 2023).
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 97 at 8:40am, Dhaka ranked 21st in the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.
Pakistan’s Lahore, Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City and Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 176, 159 and 158, respectively.
Also read: Air pollution causing severe health concerns: CPD
An AQI between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’ with an acceptable air quality. However, there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
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.
A recent report by Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) says air pollution in Dhaka is creating severe health concerns and increases the risk of stroke, heart diseases, lung cancer, and both chronic and acute respiratory diseases.
According to the report, air pollution in Dhaka has increased by 13 percent since 2020 which indicates that the respondents’ perception is in line with reality.
Due to these diseases caused by air pollution, Dhaka residents spend more than Tk4,000 per person every year for the treatment of respiratory diseases.
Also read: Urgent, coordinated actions needed to curb air pollution in South Asia: World Bank
According to data from Air Quality Life Index (AQLI), residents in Bangladesh are expected to lose about 5 years off their lives on average if the current high levels of pollution persist.