United News of Bangladesh

Even on a public holiday, Dhaka, the overcrowded capital city of Bangladesh, topped the list of cities with the worst air quality with an AQI score of 242 at 10:40am this morning (February 21, 2025). Today’s air was classified as 'very unhealthy’, referring to a grave health threat to residents, according to the AQI index. The air continued to be worse for the third consecutive day on Friday. When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 50 and 100, air quality is considered ‘moderate’, usually sensitive individuals should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion, 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. Nepal’s Kathmandu, India’s Delhi and Pakistan’s Karachi cities respectively occupied the second, third and fourth spots on the list, with AQI scores of 208, 198 and 196 respectively. 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. Dhaka’s worst air affliction continues The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five 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. As per World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.

Dhaka has once again topped the list of cities around the world with the worst air quality this morning (Thursday). With an air quality index (AQI) score of 225 at 8:51 am today, Dhaka ranked first in the list of cities with worst air. An AQI between 151 and 200 is said to be ‘unhealthy’ while 201 and 300 is considered ‘very unhealthy’, and 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents. Pakistan’s Lahore and India’s Mumbai occupied the second and third places with AQI of 195 and 180 respectively. 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. Also read: Dhaka's air quality still ‘very unhealthy' as it ranks 2nd worst polluted city 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.  

Dhaka has once again topped the list of cities with poor air quality. With an air quality index (AQI) score of 323 at 8:49 am today (December 15, 2022), Dhaka ranked first in the list of cities with the worst air. An AQI between 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents. India’s Kolkata and Bosnia Herzegovina’s Sarajevo occupied the second and third spots in the list, with AQI scores of 192 and 190, respectively. Read More: Effects of Air Pollution on Unborn Children, Neonates, Infants Similarly, an AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups while a reading of 201 and 300 is said to be 'poor'. 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. Also read; Dhaka's air quality 'unhealthy' as winter approaches 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.