Dhaka ranked first among the world’s most polluted cities on Thursday morning, recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 181 at 08:58 am.
The air quality was classified as ‘unhealthy’, indicating the air contains dangerous levels of pollutants, according to the AQI scale.
Lahore in Pakistan, Kolkata in India and Jakarta in Indonesia occupied the top three spots, with AQI scores of 156, 135 and 127 respectively.
According to AQI standards, a reading between 101 and 150 is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, 151 to 200 ‘unhealthy’, 201 to 300 ‘very unhealthy’, while levels above 301 are deemed ‘hazardous’, posing serious health risks.
The AQI, which provides daily updates on air quality, indicates how clean or polluted the air is and highlights potential health impacts.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is calculated based on five major pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone.
Dhaka has long struggled with air pollution, with air quality typically worsening in winter and improving during the monsoon season.
The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution causes around seven million deaths globally each year, mainly due to stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.