Air pollution very high in 9 areas of Dhaka

Dhaka ranked fifth among the world’s major cities for air pollution on Sunday morning.

According to the latest ranking published by Swiss-based organisation IQAir at 8:30 am, Dhaka recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 173. Air at this level is considered “unhealthy”.

Air pollution levels were particularly high in nine areas of Dhaka, with one location recording a “very unhealthy” level.

Kuching in Malaysia and Mumbai in India ranked first and second, with scores of 210 and 191 respectively.

The main pollutant in Dhaka’s air was fine particulate matter (PM2.5), with a concentration of 88.5 micrograms per cubic metre. This is approximately 17 times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO)’s annual guideline level. IQAir calculated the figures using data from 12 monitoring stations across Dhaka.

Among Dhaka’s monitoring stations, Abdullahbagh in North Badda recorded the highest AQI score, at 201. An AQI score above 200 indicates a “very unhealthy” level of air pollution.

Other areas with high pollution levels in the capital included Gulshan Lake Park (186), the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) office in Agargaon (179), Baridhara Lakeside (179), Baridhara Park Road (177), Becharam Deuri (176), Eastern Housing (173), Grace International School in Gulshan (169) and Base Edge Water in the same area (165).

Among divisional cities outside Dhaka, Rajshahi recorded the highest level of air pollution, with an AQI score of 169. The scores for other cities were 164 in Khulna, 157 in Rangpur, 155 in Mymensingh, 151 in Barishal, 142 in Chattogram and 112 in Sylhet.

IQAir’s index reflects air quality at a particular moment, so rankings and scores may change over time.