Air pollution is increasing day by day in different countries of the world. Megacity Dhaka is also suffering from air pollution for a long time. Dhaka’s air quality improves slightly when it rains occasionally. However, even after a few days of intense heat, Dhaka’s air quality has improved somewhat. But there are health risks in the air.
As of 9 am on Wednesday (April 24), megacity Dhaka is ranked 10th in the list of the world’s most polluted cities with a score of 135, which is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, according to international air quality technology firm IQAir’s criteria.
Meanwhile, according to the IQAir criteria, the Indian city of Delhi tops the list of the world’s most polluted cities with a score of 198. Apart from this, Egypt’s Cairo is in the second position with a score of 168, Chiang Mai in Thailand is in the third position with a score of 166, Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal is in the fourth position with a score of 162, and Lahore is in the fifth position with a score of 161.
An AQI score of zero to 50 is considered good. A score of 51 to 100 is considered moderate; And a score of 101 to 150 is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. A score of 151 to 200 is considered ‘unhealthy’ air.
An AQI score between 201 and 300 is considered ‘very unhealthy’. In this situation, children, elderly and sick patients are advised to limit their activities indoors and others outside the home. Also, an AQI between 301 and 400 is considered ‘risky’, posing a serious health risk to city dwellers.
Generally AQI is determined based on 5 types of pollutants. For example: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and ozone (O3).
Air pollution poses serious health risks. Air pollution is harmful to people of all ages. However, air pollution is very harmful for children, sick people, elderly and pregnant women.
