No improvement in Dhaka’s air quality

NEWS DESK

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

It had an AQI score of 163 at 08:13 am. The air was classified as ‘unhealthy’.

Although Dhaka’s air was supposed to improve during the general holidays as public transports remained suspended for over one month, it saw no improvement.

When the AQI value is between 151 and 200, everyone may begin to experience health effects while members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.

Indonesia’s Jakarta and China’s Wuhan occupied the second and third positions in the list of cities with the worst air quality with AQI scores of 158 and 157 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.