Rain Improves Dhaka Air Quality to 'Moderate'

Rainfall in the capital has brought a welcome improvement in Dhaka's air quality, with the city's air quality rated as 'moderate' on Saturday morning.
According to the Air Quality Index (AQI), Dhaka recorded a score of 86 at 9:29am, placing it 16th among cities with the worst air quality worldwide.
An AQI score between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', while a score between 51 and 100 falls into the 'moderate' category, indicating acceptable air quality for most people. Readings between 101 and 200 are considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, while scores of 201 to 300 are classified as poor. An AQI reading between 301 and 400 is regarded as hazardous, posing serious health risks.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo's Kinshasa topped the global pollution list with an AQI of 174, followed by Kampala in Uganda with 162 and Jakarta in Indonesia with 159.
The AQI is a standard measure used by governments and environmental agencies to report daily air quality and its potential impact on public health.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is calculated based on five key pollutants: particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and ozone (O₃).
Dhaka has long struggled with severe air pollution. Air quality typically deteriorates during the dry winter months due to dust and emissions but improves significantly during the monsoon season as rainfall helps wash pollutants from the atmosphere.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is one of the leading environmental health risks globally, causing an estimated seven million premature deaths each year, mainly from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.