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Dhaka ranks world's 4th most polluted city on Sunday
Dhaka, the densely populated capital of Bangladesh, ranked 4th among the world’s most polluted cities on Sunday morning, recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 138 at 11:37 am.
The air quality was classified as ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, indicating potential health risks for the general population, according to the AQI scale.
Hanoi,Vietnam, kolkata in India and Delhi in India occupied the top three positions on the list, with AQI scores of 155, 142 and 142 respectively.
According to AQI standards, a reading between 101 and 150 is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, 151 to 200 ‘unhealthy’, 201 to 300 ‘very unhealthy’, while levels above 301 are deemed ‘hazardous’, posing serious health risks.
The AQI, which reports daily air quality, informs residents how clean or polluted the air is and highlights potential health effects.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is calculated based on five key pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone.
Dhaka has long struggled with air pollution. Air quality usually deteriorates in winter and improves during the monsoon season.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that air pollution causes about seven million deaths worldwide each year, primarily from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections, reports UNB.