This morning, Dhaka’s air was ranked as the fifth most polluted globally by the Air Quality Index (AQI). The city’s air quality was labeled ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups,’ scoring 136 on the AQI at 8:30 a.m.
The cities of Kampala in Uganda, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait City in Kuwait, and Jakarta in Indonesia took the top four positions with AQI scores of 162, 159, 157, and 152, respectively.
An AQI value of 101 to 150 signifies ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups,’ while 150 to 200 is labeled ‘unhealthy.’ Readings between 201 and 300 are considered ‘very unhealthy,’ and values above 301 are deemed ‘hazardous,’ posing severe health risks.
Bangladesh’s AQI is determined by five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and Ozone. Dhaka consistently struggles with air pollution, with the situation deteriorating in the winter and improving during the monsoon.
Globally, air pollution ranks among the leading causes of death and disability. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that air pollution leads to around seven million deaths annually, mainly due to increased mortality from heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and acute respiratory infections.
