Dhaka's air quality is still in the ‘unhealthy' zone this morning.

With an air quality index (AQI) score of 172 at 9 am, the capital of Bangladesh ranked sixth in the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.

Ghana’s Accra, India’s Delhi and Pakistan’s Lahore occupied the first, second and third spots in the list, with AQI scores of 372, 254, and 197, respectively.

An AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be ‘very unhealthy’, while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.

Also Read: Dhaka air ‘hazardous’, most polluted in the world this morning

An AQI between 101 and 150 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups.

In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and Ozone.

Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.

Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing a heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.

As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.