Dhaka’s air quality remains unhealthy

FT ONLINE

Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka has ranked as the third most polluted city in the world.

Dhaka scored 256 in the US Air Quality Index (AQI) at 9am on Thursday. The air was classified as “very unhealthy.”

The index was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency for reporting daily air quality of any city or country.

Afghanistan’s Kabul occupied the top spot with a scores of 307, according to data obtained from AirVisual, a mobile application that shows real-time air pollution index of any city.

Bangladesh, one of the most densely-populated countries in the world, has been struggling with air pollution for a long time while Dhaka has continued to rank among the most polluted cities.

Brick kilns, vehicles run by fuels with higher level sulphur, as well as construction works have been identified as major sources of air pollution.

The air quality further declines during the dry months – from October to April – but improves in the monsoon.

The situation is very serious, experts say, pointing out that five of the top 10 causes of deaths in Bangladesh are related to air pollution.