Air Quality Index: Dhaka ranks 3rd worst city

Bangladesh’s capital showed little sign of improvement even though the vehicles’ entry to and from the city was restricted while a virtual lockdown is going on due to coronavirus, it ranked third worst in the Air Quality Index (AQI) on Tuesday morning.

Dhaka had a score of 116 at 08:16am, indicating that the air quality was ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’.

A numerical value between 101 and 150 indicates that members of sensitive groups may experience health effects.

Thailand’s Chiang Mai and China’s Chengdu occupied the first two spots respectively with scores of 195 and 173.

Scores between 151 and 200 is classified as ‘unhealthy’ while the scores between 201 and 300 are identified as ‘very unhealthy’. If the score is between 301 and 500, then it is classified as ‘hazardous’.

The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, tells people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them

Dhaka, one of the most densely populated cities in the world, has been grappling with air pollution for a long time. The air quality generally worsens during summer and shows signs of improvement in monsoon when the dust settles.