Dhaka’s air ‘very unhealthy’, behind Tehran, Dubai and Doha in today's AQI rankings
Dhaka’s air has ranked first among the world’s most polluted this morning, recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 240 at 9:19 am, according to IQAir.
The city’s air was classified as “very unhealthy”, indicating a serious health threat.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Lahore in Pakistan, Delhi and Kolkata in India occupied the second, third, and fourth spots on the list, with AQI scores of 237, 200, and 194 respectively, according to UNB.
Photo: Mehedi Hasan
Hourly data from 1:00pm to 2:00pm also showed Dhaka’s AQI at 174, still higher than Delhi (158) and Tashkent, Uzbekistan (157).
By comparison, war-hit Tehran of Iran recorded a score of 55 during the same period, while Dubai in UAE (94), Doha in Qatar (75), and Manama in Bahrain (66) enjoyed comparatively cleaner air.
According to the AQI scale, readings between 50 and 100 are considered “moderate”, 101-150 “unhealthy for sensitive groups”, 151-200 “unhealthy”, 201-300 “very unhealthy”, and readings above 301 are classified as “hazardous”, posing severe health risks. The morning reading of 240 places Dhaka well into the “very unhealthy” category.
The AQI, which reports daily air quality, informs residents about how clean or polluted the air is and highlights potential health effects.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is calculated based on five key pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone.
Dhaka has long struggled with air pollution. Air quality usually deteriorates in winter and improves during the monsoon season.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution causes around seven million deaths worldwide each year, primarily from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) today predicted that light rain is likely in parts of the country over the next 24 hours, starting from 9:00am.
“Light rain is expected at one or two places over Dhaka, Barishal, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions, while the weather may remain mainly dry with temporarily partly cloudy skies elsewhere across the country,” the met office bulletin said.
Dhaka city dwellers got some relief from the heat yesterday as rain showers, accompanied by gusty winds, cooled the streets. The sudden downpour was a welcome respite during Ramadan.
The met office added yesterday's rainfall was the first of the year.