Dhaka’s air ‘unhealthy’ this morning

Dhaka’s air quality turned in the ‘unhealthy’ zone on Wednesday morning.

With an air quality index (AQI) score of 192 at 8:30 am, the metropolis ranked sixth in the list of world cities with the worst air quality.

An AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be ‘very unhealthy’, while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered ‘hazardous’, posing serious health risks to residents.

Sarajevo’s Bosnia Herzegovina and Ghana’s Accra occupied the first two spots with an AQI of 289 and 258, respectively.

Meanwhile, an AQI between 101 and 150 is considered ‘unhealthy’, particularly for sensitive groups.

In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants—Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.

Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.