Shawdesh Desk:

Dhaka’s air quality was categorised as ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ this morning.

With an air quality index score of 119 at 10:00am, Dhaka ranked 18th on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.

India’s Delhi and Mumbai, Pakistan’s Lahore, and China’s Shenyang occupied the first four spots on the list, with AQI scores of 221, 169, 168 and 165, respectively.

An AQI between 150 and 200 is considered ‘unhealthy’, AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be ‘very unhealthy’, while a reading of 301 and above 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 Organisation, air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.