The air quality in Dhaka this morning ranks as the fifth worst in the world

The air quality in Dhaka was classified as “unhealthy” on Tuesday morning. With an air quality index (AQI) of 159 at 9:05 am, Dhaka was ranked fifth on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.

India’s Delhi, Nepal’s Kathmandu and Indonesia’s Medan occupy the first three places on the list, with AQI scores of 177, 172 and 168 respectively.

In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria for pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and ozone.

Dhaka’s air is still ‘unhealthy’, ranked sixth worst in the world this morning

Dhaka has been suffering from air pollution problems for a long time. The air quality usually becomes unhealthy in winter and improves during monsoon.

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

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.