The air quality of Dhaka showed no sign of improvement on Saturday morning even after rain in the previous night.

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.