Dhaka's air quality continued to be in the ‘moderate’ zone Friday morning.
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 55 at 9:12 am, Dhaka ranked 44th on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.
Uganda’s Kampala, Algeria’s Algiers and Pakistan’s Lahore occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 155, 154 and 153 respectively, according to IQAir.
An AQI score between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’ with acceptable air quality. However, there may be a health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
AQI score between 150 and 200 is considered '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.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.
Also read: Effects of Air Pollution on Unborn Children, Neonates, Infants
Dhaka has long grappled with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in the winter and improves during the monsoon.
Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide.
As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year.
Also read: Air pollution cuts Dhaka dwellers’ life expectancy by 7.7 years: Study