As of 9:30 am on Wednesday, Dhaka ranks fifth among the world’s cities in terms of air pollution. Dhaka scores 218 in air quality index (AQI) today. This air quality is ‘very unhealthy’.
At 9:30 am today, the top four cities in the list of polluted air cities are India and Pakistan. Pakistan’s Lahore and Karachi are ranked first and third with scores of 452 and 297 respectively. Indian cities Delhi and Kolkata are in second and fourth place. Both cities have air scores of 413 and 220. At the same time Brussels had the cleanest air in the world. By 9:30 a.m., the Brussels score was 0.
This situation of air pollution is regularly highlighted by Switzerland-based organization IQAir. A live or instant AQI index based on air quality informs and alerts people about how clean or polluted the air is in a particular city.
According to today’s list given by IQAir, particulate matter (PM2.5) is the main source of air pollution in Dhaka. Today, the amount of particulate matter in Dhaka’s air is 33.6 times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) standard.
IQAir’s report on air offers some advice on how to protect public health. Advice for Dhaka residents today to protect from pollution, wear a mask when you go out, it can protect you from pollution.
An AQI score of zero to 50 is considered good. 51 to 100 is considered moderate. And for sensitive groups, a score of 101 to 150 is considered unhealthy. 151 to 200 is considered unhealthy. Similarly, an AQI score of 201 to 300 is considered very unhealthy. And more than 301 is considered ‘catastrophic’ or ‘risky’. Air pollution poses serious health risks. It is harmful to people of all ages. However, air pollution is very harmful for children, sick people, elderly and pregnant women.
