Dhaka, the most populous capital city of Bangladesh, ranks third in the list of cities with the most polluted air in the world. Currently, the city’s air quality is ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups.’
Dhaka scores 141 on air quality index at 9 am on Tuesday.
Lahore in Pakistan and Delhi in India are ranked first and second with AQI scores of 194 and 151 respectively.
Generally, an AQI score between 51 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’. An air quality between 101 and 150 is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, an AQI score between 151 and 200 is considered ‘unhealthy’. A score between 201 and 300 is considered ‘very unhealthy’ and an AQI score of 300 to 400 is considered ‘hazardous’, posing a serious health risk to residents.
AQI in Bangladesh is determined based on five characteristics of pollution. They are particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and ozone (O3).
Dhaka has been suffering from air pollution for a long time. Its air quality generally becomes ‘unhealthy’ during winters and slightly ‘improves’ during monsoons.
According to a report by the Department of Environment and the World Bank in March 2019, the three main sources of air pollution in Dhaka are brick kilns, vehicle fumes and dust from construction sites.
Source: UNB