Dhaka ranks 11th worst in Air Quality Index
The quality of Dhaka’s air showed signs of improvement for the second consecutive day on Wednesday morning, reports UNB.
It was categorised as ‘moderate’ and ranked 11th worst in the AQI index.
The megacity had an AQI score of 84 at 09:14am. When the AQI remains between 51 and 100, the air quality is acceptable.
However, there may be risks for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
China’s Beijing, South Africa’s Johannesburg and India’s Delhi occupied the first three spots in the list of cities with the worst air quality with AQI scores of 341, 182 and 160 respectively.
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.
Dhaka’s air improves when rainfall begins from mid-June. The air remains mostly acceptable during monsoon from June to October.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants – Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and Ozone (O3).
Bangladesh has a subtropical monsoon climate characterised by wide seasonal variations in rainfall, high temperatures and humidity.
Dhaka’s air improves when rainfall begins from mid-June. The air remains mostly acceptable during monsoon from June to October.
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution.
The situation was so bad that the High Court stepped in and issued a nine-point directive to improve air quality in January.
Environment, forests and climate change minister Md Shahab Uddin admitted that air pollution in the capital reached an intolerable level.
Earlier, he noted brick kilns were responsible for 58 per cent of the pollution.
“Green belts should be set up at various locations of the city and water bodies need to be conserved. A system should be in place to identify how people can live safely in polluted air. Air pollution should be seen as an important national crisis," UNB quoted him as saying.