Dhaka ranked 36th among the world’s most polluted cities on Wednesday morning, recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 67 at 08:50 am.

The air quality was classified as ‘moderate’, indicating a moderate health concern for a very small number of individuals who are unusually sensitive to air pollution, according to the AQI scale.

Lahore in Pakistan, Delhi in India and Jakarta in Indonesia occupied the top three spots, with AQI scores of 188, 173 and 157 respectively.

According to AQI standards, a reading between 101 and 150 is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, 151 to 200 ‘unhealthy’, 201 to 300 ‘very unhealthy’, while levels above 301 are deemed ‘hazardous’, posing serious health risks.

The AQI, which provides daily updates on air quality, indicates how clean or polluted the air is and highlights potential health impacts.

In Bangladesh, the AQI is calculated based on five major pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone.

Dhaka has long struggled with air pollution, with air quality typically worsening in winter and improving during the monsoon season.

The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution causes around seven million deaths globally each year, mainly due to stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.