Air pollution still remains one of the top-most challenges for Bangladesh and Dhaka was ranked as the fifth most polluted city in the world with ‘unhealthy’ air quality on Wednesday (November 23, 2022) morning. Dhaka’s air quality index (AQI) score was 196 at 9.15 am today. Read: Effects of Air Pollution on Unborn Children, Neonates, Infants An AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be ‘very unhealthy’, while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents. Pakistan’s Lahore, Iraq's Baghdad and India’s Delhi occupied the first and third spots in the list, with AQI scores of 306, 255 and 223, respectively. Read: WASA key reason behind pollution of Dhaka’s rivers, NRCC chairman says An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups. In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.

Dhaka’s air quality was ranked fifth worst in the Air Quality Index (AQI) on Sunday morning.   Dhaka had an AQI score of 154 at 08:41am and the air was classified as ‘unhealthy’.   The air quality in Dhaka has been improving significantly over the last few days thanks to the government-announced holiday to curb the transmission of coronavirus.   When the AQI value is between 151 and 200, everyone may begin to experience health effects while members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.