Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka ranked the third worst in Air Quality Index (AQI) on Friday morning.
It had an AQI score of 190 at 08:36 am. The air was classified as ‘unhealthy’.
Thailand’s Chiang Mai and Mongolia’s Ulaanbaatar occupied the first and second spots in the list of cities with the worst air quality with AQI scores of 294 and 192 respectively.
When the AQI value is between 151 and 200, every city dweller may begin to experience the adverse effects in their health, particularly members of sensitive groups.
The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants – Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone (O3).
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution. Its air quality usually improves during monsoon.