Many of those who live in Dhaka these days say that they will look at other cities to move out if there is any opportunity as they find the capital city unlivable due to its worsening air pollution. “Living in Dhaka has become a personal battle because its air has become too unhealthy for living,” says Mujibul Haque, a retired engineer.    The residents of Dhaka breathed with the worst and unsafe air from January to March this year as they did during the same period in 2017. During this 90-day period (January-March 2021), the air quality was recorded as ‘hazardous’ for 12 days, ‘very unhealthy’ for 58 days, ‘unhealthy’ for 19 days and ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ for one day in Dhaka, one of the most polluted cities in the world. Also read: Dhaka’s air quality still ‘unhealthy’ despite rain

The air quality in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka has become a big concern for its residents as it held the top position among cities in the world  with worst air quality for the last couple of days, even on Tuesday morning.   It had an AQI score of 236 at 7:48am. The air was classified as ‘very unhealthy’ and in this state of air everyone may experience serious health effects.   When the AQI value is between 201 and 300, the entire population is more likely to be affected while children are advised to limit outdoor activities in this situation.   Moreover, the situation notifies health warnings of emergency conditions.   India’s Delhi and Pakistan’s Lahore occupied the second and third positions in the list of cities with the worst air quality with AQI scores of 233 and 198 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.   In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants – Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone (O3).   The Department of Environment has also set national ambient air quality standards for these pollutants. These standards aim to protect against adverse human health impacts.   Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution. Its air quality usually improves during monsoon.