Dhaka's air quality continued to be in the ‘moderate’ zone this morning (July 2, 2023), thanks to the torrential rain for the past few days and traffic yet to return to its usual form after Eid holidays. With an air quality index (AQI) score of 68 at 8:25 am, Dhaka ranked 29th in the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality. India’s Delhi, Pakistan’s Lahore and China’s Beijing occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 137, 133 and 114, respectively. Read: Rain, thin traffic during Eid holidays keep Dhaka's air quality 'moderate' An AQI between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’ with an acceptable air quality. However, there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. Besides, 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. Read: Dhaka's air quality ‘moderate’ thanks to less traffic on 4th day of Eid holidays 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. Read more: Rain, few vehicles on the street during Eid holidays make Dhaka air quality ‘moderate’

Beijing reported 22 new confirmed domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases, three suspected cases and three asymptomatic cases Saturday, the municipal health commission said Sunday.

The quality of Dhaka’s air showed signs of improvement for the second consecutive day on Wednesday morning.

Despite the ongoing shutdown due to coronavirus pandemic,  Dhaka ranked 5th worst in the Air Quality Index (AQI) on Friday morning.   The capital ranked the worst in the Air Quality Index (AQI) with a score of 154 at 09:18 am. The air was classified as ‘unhealthy’.   When the AQI value is between 151 and 200, everyone may begin to experience health effects. Members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.   China’s Beijing, Pakistan’s Lahore and Indonesia’s Jakarta occupied the first three spots in the list of cities with worst air with scores of 197, 191, and 158 respectively.   Bangladesh has shut down educational institutions, mass transport, and non-essential services and restricted the movement of people and vehicles to tackle the spread of coronavirus.   People have been asked to stay indoors.   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.   Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution. Its air quality usually improves during monsoon.

Dhaka’s air quality showed significant improvement on Thursday morning with the capital city ranking 20th worst in the Air Quality Index (AQI).   It had an AQI score of 91 and its air quality was classified as ‘moderate’.   China’s Beijing, Vietnam’s Hanoi and India’s Delhi occupied the first three spots in the list of cities with the worst air with scores of 208, 158 and 153 respectively.