Air Quality Index: Dhaka ranks 11th worst

Photo: UNB
Photo: UNB

Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka was ranked 11th worst in the Air Quality Index (AQI) on Thursday morning, reports UNB.

It had an AQI score of 169 at 8:18am. The air quality was classified as ‘unhealthy’.

Australia’s Canberra, Mongolia’s Ulaanbaatar and India’s Delhi occupied the top three positions in the list of cities with worst air with scores of 495, 405 and 397 respectively.

When the AQI score is between 151 and 200, the air quality is considered as unhealthy and when the score is between 201 and 300, every city dweller may begin to experience health effects.

But when the value is 301 to 500 or more, the air quality is considered hazardous. The city dwellers may begin to experience health warnings of emergency conditions in this case.

The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.

In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants - Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone (O3). The Department of Environment has also set national ambient air quality standards for these pollutants. These standards aim to protect against adverse human health impacts.

Dhaka, the overcrowded megacity, has long been grappling with air pollution. The air quality usually improves during monsoon.