Dhaka ranks 2nd worst in Air Quality Index

FT ONLINE

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

It had an AQI score of 163 at 09:12am. The air was classified as ‘unhealthy’.

The situation seems to have improved little over the past few weeks as the government imposed heavy restrictions on movement and shut down all non-essential services to contain the spread of coronavirus.

When the AQI value is between 151 and 200, everyone may begin to experience health effects. Members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.
Thailand’s Chiang Mai, and Vietnam’s Hanoi occupied the first and third spots in the list of cities with the worst air quality with AQI scores of 168 and 155 respectively.

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.