Dhaka, the overcrowded capital city of Bangladesh, has ranked the fifth on the list of cities with the worst air quality with an AQI score of 165 at 9:00am on Sunday morning.
Sunday鈥檚 air was classified as 鈥榰nhealthy鈥�, referring to a health threat to residents, according to the AQI index.
However, Saturday鈥檚 air quality was marked as hazardous with an AQI score of 304.
When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 50 and 100, air quality is considered 鈥榤oderate鈥�, usually sensitive individuals should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion, between 101 and 150, air quality is considered 鈥榰nhealthy for sensitive groups鈥�, between 150 and 200 is 鈥榰nhealthy鈥�, between 201 and 300 is said to be 鈥榲ery unhealthy鈥�, while a reading of 301 and above is considered 鈥榟azardous鈥�, posing serious health risks to residents.
Myanmar鈥檚 Yangon, Pakistan鈥檚 Lahore and Uzbekistan鈥檚 Tashkent cities respectively occupied the first, second, and third spots on the list, with AQI scores of 205, 184 and 180 respectively.
The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five 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.
As per World Health Organisation, air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.