Dhaka Ranks 20th Globally in Pollution on Thursday

Dhaka ranked 20th among the world’s most polluted cities on Thursday morning, recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 96 at 10:40am.

The city’s air quality was classified as moderate, indicating that air pollution posed little or no risk to the general public, although some unusually sensitive people could experience minor health effects.

Pakistan’s Lahore topped the pollution ranking with an AQI score of 298, followed by India’s Delhi at 255 and Uzbekistan’s Tashkent at 183.

According to the AQI scale, readings of 101–150 are considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, while scores of 151–200 indicate unhealthy air quality. Readings of 201–300 are classified as very unhealthy, and scores above 300 are considered hazardous.

The AQI measures daily air quality and indicates pollution levels and their potential effects on public health.

In Bangladesh, air quality is assessed based on five major pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and ozone.

The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution causes around seven million deaths worldwide each year. The main associated health effects include stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.