Dhaka ranks 7th among world's most polluted cities

Dhaka ranked 7th among the world's most polluted cities on Tuesday morning, recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 128 at 9:30 am.  

According to the AQI scale, the city's air quality was classified as 'Unhealthy for Sensitive Group', poses minor health risks to vulnerable people.

Kampala of Uganda topped the global pollution list with an AQI score of 266, followed by Kinshasa  of the Democratic republic of Congo with 171 and Manama of Bahrain with 165.

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 provides daily updates on air quality, indicates how clean or polluted the air is and highlights potential health impacts.

In Bangladesh, the AQI is calculated based on five major 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, with air quality typically worsening in winter and improving during the monsoon season.

The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution causes around seven million deaths globally each year, mainly due to stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections, reports UNB.