Shawdesh Desk:

The air in Bangladesh capital Dhaka became ninth most polluted among cities worldwide on Saturday morning, according to the Air Quality Index.

The air in Dhaka was categorised as ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, with an AQI score of 118 at 9:00 am.

India’s Delhi, Pakistan’s Lahore and Vietnam’s Hanoi occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 256, 198, and 153, respectively.

When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be ‘very unhealthy’, while a reading of 301+ is considered ‘hazardous’, posing serious health risks to residents.

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.

As per the World Health Organization, air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.