Dhaka's air quality has been categorised as ‘unhealthy’ for three consecutive days, including this morning.
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 152 at 9 am, Dhaka ranked fifth on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.
Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur, Pakistan’s Lahore and Kuwait’s Kuwait City occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 174, 167 and 153, respectively.
Read: Despite rain, Dhaka’s air ‘unhealthy’; 5th worst in the world this morning
When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.
Read: Dhaka’s air quality ‘unhealthy’ Friday morning
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.
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.
Read more: Dhaka's air quality ‘moderate’ for third consecutive day