Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka ranked worst in the Air Quality Index for the third consecutive day on Friday, reports UNB. It had an AQI score of 209 at 0844am. The air was classified as ‘very unhealthy’. Pakistan’s Lahore and Thailand’s Chiang Mai occupied the second and third spots in the list of cities with the worst air quality with AQI scores of 192 and 189 respectively.
When the AQI value is between 201 and 300, the entire population is more likely to be affected. The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them. In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants – Particulate Matter PM10 and PM2.5, NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone. The Department of Environment has also set national ambient air quality standards for these pollutants. These standards aim to protect against adverse human health impacts.
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution. Its air quality usually improves during monsoon. Bangladesh ranked as the most polluted country in the world for PM2.5 exposure, according to 2019 World Air Quality Report by IQAir published recently.