Despite rain, Dhaka’s air still ‘unhealthy’

Dhaka's air quality continued to be in the 'unhealthy' zone this morning.

With an air quality index (AQI) score of 154 at 9:01 am, Dhaka ranked 7th on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.

India’s Delhi, Thailand’s Chiang Mai and Nepal’s Kathmandu occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 173, 170 and 161, respectively.

An AQI between 101 and 150 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups while an AQI between 151 and 200 is considered ‘unhealthy’ and an AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.

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 issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.

As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections, reports UNB.