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Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka ranked second worst in the Air Quality Index (AQI) on Tuesday morning.
It had an AQI score of 163 at 08:16am.
The air was classified as ‘unhealthy’. The situation has improved little in the city even after the government restricted vehicles movement and closed industries to prevent the transmission of coronavirus.
When the AQI value is between 151 and 200, everyone may begin to experience health effects. Members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.
Vietnam’s Hanoi, and China’s Shenyang occupied the first and third spots in the list of cities with the worst air quality with AQI scores of 175 and 158 respectively.
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.