Dhaka ranks 2nd worst in Air Quality Index

Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, ranked second worst in the Air Quality Index (AQI) on Friday morning. The city had AQI score of 318 at 10.00am.

India’s Delhi, Pakistan’s Lahore occupied the first and third spots on the list, with AQI scores of 335, and 271 respectively.

In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.

Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.

Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing a heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.

As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year.