Even today Dhaka’s air is ‘unhealthy’, fifth in the world list

Air quality in Bangladesh’s populous capital, Dhaka, has been flagged as unhealthy this morning as well.

At 9 am on Monday, Dhaka came fifth in the list of polluted air cities with an AQI index of 130.

Today’s air has been classified as ‘unhealthy’ according to the Air Quality Index, while the previous day’s air was moderate.

An AQI score between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’ or ‘acceptable’. An air quality between 101 and 150 is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, an AQI score between 151 and 200 is considered ‘unhealthy’. Between 201 and 300 is considered ‘very unhealthy’, an AQI score of 301+ is considered ‘risky’, posing a serious health risk to residents.

Beijing in China, Delhi in India and Kathmandu in Nepal ranked first, second and third with AQI scores of 167, 165 and 162 respectively.

AQI in Bangladesh is determined based on 5 characteristics of pollution. They are Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone (O3). Dhaka has been suffering from air pollution for a long time. Its air quality generally becomes unhealthy during winters and improves slightly during monsoons.

According to a report by the Department of Environment and the World Bank in March 2019, the three main sources of air pollution in Dhaka are brick kilns, vehicle fumes and dust from construction sites.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution has increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections. As a result, approximately 7 million people die worldwide each year.