Dhaka: Dhaka ranked 11th among the world's most polluted cities on Monday morning, recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 102 at 9:45 am. According to the AQI scale, the city's air quality was classified as 'Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups,' posing minor health risks to vulnerable people.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Malaysia's Kuching topped the global pollution list with an AQI score of 370. Kuwait's Kuwait City and India's Delhi occupied the second and third spots, with AQI scores of 227 and 221, respectively.
The AQI standards indicate that a reading between 101 and 150 is considered 'unhealthy for sensitive groups', 151 to 200 'unhealthy', 201 to 300 '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.