Dhaka:The air quality in Dhaka deteriorated to 'unhealthy' status on Friday morning, registering an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 181 at 920 am.
According to United News of Bangladesh, this score placed Dhaka fourth among the world's most polluted cities, based on data from the air quality monitoring platform IQAir. Singapore recorded the highest pollution level with an AQI score of 236, followed by Jakarta, Indonesia, with a score of 189, and Lahore, Pakistan, with 184.
Just a day earlier, on Thursday, Dhaka had ranked 26th on the global list, with an AQI score of 105 at 11 am, which classified the air quality as 'Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups'. This level poses health risks to children, older adults, and those with heart or lung conditions, while generally sparing the wider public.
The AQI scale categorizes scores between 50 and 100 as "moderate," between 101 and 150 as "unhealthy for sensitive groups," and between 151 and 200 as "unhealthy." Scores from 201 to 300 are deemed "very unhealthy," and any score above 301 is considered "hazardous," posing serious health risks.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is calculated using five major pollutants particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, and ozone. The AQI serves as a daily indicator of air quality, reflecting the cleanliness or pollution level of the air and the potential health effects on the population.