How polluted is Dhaka’s air today?

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Air pollution is increasing day by day in big cities around the world due to various reasons. Megacity Dhaka has been under its severe influence for a long time.

According to the information of the international air monitoring organization IQAir at around 8:30 am on Sunday (April 12), Dhaka is ranked seventh in the list of polluted cities in the world. The city topped the list the previous day. On this day, Air Quality Index (AQI) of Dhaka was 158, while it was 186 the previous day. Both scores are at ‘unhealthy’ levels but pollution has eased slightly compared to yesterday.

Delhi ranks third in the list with an AQI of 199, which is unhealthy for residents. Kolkata, another city in the same country, is ranked ninth with a score of 153. On the other hand, Mumbai, ranked 13th, has relatively good air quality but is considered hazardous for sensitive groups.

Meanwhile, Karachi and Lahore, which were at number 22 and 23 in the previous day’s list, have risen to fourth and tenth place respectively. The two cities have AQI scores of 172 and 151—indicating an unhealthy environment for residents.

Riyadh tops the list, with an AQI of 231—the ‘very unhealthy’ level. Second place Chiang Mai has a score of 208, indicating similarly high levels of pollution.

Besides, Kathmandu is fifth with 172 score, Hanoi is sixth with 165 score and Dhaka is eighth with 153 score. The air in these cities is also unhealthy.

According to air quality criteria, an AQI of 0 to 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 moderate and 101 to 150 unhealthy for sensitive groups. A score of 151 to 200 is considered ‘unhealthy’.

On the other hand, an AQI between 201 and 300 is considered ‘very unhealthy’. In this situation, children, elderly and sick people are advised to stay indoors, and it is said to limit outside travel. And a score of 301 to 400 is called ‘risky’, which can pose a serious threat to public health.