Dhaka: Dhaka ranked 9th among the world's most polluted cities on Tuesday morning, recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 132 at 9:45 am.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the city's air quality was classified as 'Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups,' posing health risks to children, older adults, and people with heart or lung diseases, while the general public is mostly unaffected. The AQI scale defines a reading between 101 and 150 as 'unhealthy for sensitive groups.'
Kuching of Malaysia topped the global pollution list with an AQI score of 176, followed by Kampala of Uganda with 172 and Kuwait City of Kuwait with 169. The AQI standards categorize a reading of 151 to 200 as 'unhealthy,' 201 to 300 as 'very unhealthy,' while levels above 301 are deemed 'hazardous,' posing serious health risks.
The AQI provides daily updates on air quality, indicating how clean or polluted the air is and highlighting 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.