Dhaka's air quality was identified as 'very unhealthy' this morning (November 19, 2024).
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 246 at 08:20am, Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh ranked the 2nd on the list of cities around the world with the worst air quality.
India's Delhi, Pakistan's Lahore, and India's Kolkata, occupied the first three spots, with AQI scores of 491, 232 and 226, respectively.
When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered 'unhealthy for sensitive groups', between 151 and 200 is 'unhealthy', between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', and a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
Dhaka’s ‘unhealthy’ air quality persists
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants — particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.
Dhaka has long grappled with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in the winter and improves during the monsoon.
As per World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.