Air Quality Index: Dhaka ranks 6th worst

Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka ranked sixth worst in the Air Quality Index (AQI) on Sunday morning.

It had an AQI score of 145 at 8:30am. The air was classified as ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’.

China’s Shenyang and Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh occupied the first and second spots in the list of cities with worst air quality with AQI scores of 260 and 190 respectively.

When the AQI value is between 101 and 150, active children and adults, and people with respiratory diseases, such as asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.

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

In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants – Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and Ozone (O3).

Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution. Its air quality usually improves during monsoon.