Dhaka's air quality is ‘moderate’ this morning.
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 88 at 9:10 am, Dhaka ranked 14th in the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.
Read: HC summons N’ganj DC, DoE officials for not complying with directives to control air pollution
Canada's Montreal, Indonesia's Jakarta and India’s Delhi occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 196, 153 and 149, respectively.
An AQI between 150 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while 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.
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.
Read: Dhaka’s air pollution: HC asks what steps have been taken
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.