Dhaka's air quality is in the ‘moderate’ zone this morning (July 11, 2023).
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 65 at 9:20 am, Dhaka ranked 21st on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.
The United Arab Emirates' Dubai, Uganda's Kampala, Qatar’s Doha and Pakistan's Lahore occupied the first four spots on the list, with AQI scores of 240, 154, 143 and 134, respectively.
Read: HC summons N’ganj DC, DoE officials for not complying with directives to control air pollution
An AQI 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.
An AQI between 150 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', AQI 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.
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.
Read: The country will be turned pollution-free: Environment minister