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Dhaka’s air very unhealthy on Friday morning
Dhaka ranked second among the world’s most polluted cities on Friday morning, recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 251 at 9:10 am.
The city’s air quality was classified as ‘very unhealthy’, posing a serious health risk, according to the AQI report.
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Sarajevo topped the list with an AQI score of 404, while India’s Delhi ranked third with an AQI score of 192.
According to the AQI scale, a reading between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’, while 101–150 is ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’. Levels between 151 and 200 are termed ‘unhealthy’, 201–300 ‘very unhealthy’, and readings above 301 are considered ‘hazardous’, posing severe health risks.
The AQI, which measures daily air quality, indicates how clean or polluted the air is and highlights potential health effects. In Bangladesh, the index is calculated based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), and ozone.
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution, which typically worsens during the winter and improves during the monsoon season.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that air pollution causes around seven million deaths globally each year, mainly due to stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections, reports UNB.