Dhaka’s air quality still ‘unhealthy’ despite rain

Commuters drive and ride on a road under heavy smog conditions in Dhaka on 26 November 2019. Bangladesh said on 26 November it will shut hundreds of soot-belching brick kilns around its capital Dhaka as part of measures to reduce thick smog enveloping the city and pushing air quality levels to among the world`s worst.AFP

Dhaka ranked third worst among the world cities in the Air Quality Index on Monday morning even though a strong nor’wester, coupled with rains, lashed different parts of the country, including the capital, on Sunday, reports UNB.

Dhaka occupied the 3rd position in the list of world cities with the worst air quality. The city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded 183 around 09.31 am.

Nepal’s Kathmandu and Myanmar’s Yangon occupied the first and second slots with AQI scores of 331 and 191 respectively.

An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered ‘unhealthy’, particularly for sensitive groups of people like children and elderly population.

AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.