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29 March 2024


Business Insider Bangladesh

Dhaka’s air 8th most polluted in world this morning

UNB || BusinessInsider

Published: 10:42, 17 March 2023  
Dhaka’s air 8th most polluted in world this morning

Photo: Collected

Dhaka's air quality continued to be in 'unhealthy' state as it stood at the 8th most polluted city across the world on Friday morning, according to the Air Quality Index (AQI).

With the AQI score of 156 at 9.25 am, the capital ranked eighth in the list of world cities with the worst air quality.

An AQI between 151 and 200 is considered unhealthy, 201 and 300 very unhealthy, and 301 and 400 is considered hazardous, posing serious health risks to residents.

India’s Delhi, Nepal’s Kathmandu and Myanmar’s Yangon occupied the first, second and third spots in the list, with AQI scores of 215, 178 and 175, respectively.

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.

Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide.

Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person's chances of developing heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.

Nagad
Walton