Dhaka’s air quality was classified as ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ at 11am on Monday (April 6), according to the ranking published by IQAir.
India’s Delhi (196), Vietnam’s Hanoi (190) and Kuwait’s Kuwait City (175) recorded the worst air among cities around the world, according to the IQAir ranking.
Dhaka’s air quality was ranked unhealthy for sensitive groups, but the PM2.5 concentration in Dhaka was 10.4 times higher than the WHO annual air quality guideline value.
An AQI score between 51 and 100 means the air quality is moderate. It is categorised as unhealthy for sensitive groups if the score remains between 101 and 150.
When the score ranges between 151 and 200, it is considered unhealthy.
Similarly, an AQI score of 201 to 300 is considered an emergency with health warnings. In this situation, children, the elderly, and sick patients are urged to limit their indoor and outdoor activities.
Any score above 300 is considered to be hazardous.
Being one of the world’s most densely populated cities in the world, Dhaka has been struggling with poor air quality for a long time. The quality deteriorates further during the summer and winter but improves slightly in the monsoon.
