The air in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka was ranked fourth worst among cities around the world according to Air Quality Index (AQI) this morning.
Dhaka’s air was classified as unhealthy at 8:53 am with an AQI score of 178.
Pakistan’s Lahore, India’s Delhi and China’s Beijing were the top three cities on the list with scores of 430, 305 and 179 respectively.
Dhaka's air quality 'moderate' Friday morning
When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
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.
The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.
Dhaka's air quality ‘moderate’ for third consecutive day
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.