Dhaka air turns ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, ranks 7th globally

Dhaka, the densely populated capital of Bangladesh, ranked
7th among the world's most polluted cities this morning (22 April), with an Air
Quality Index (AQI) of 109 at 08:53am.
The air was classified as
'Unhealthy for sensitive groups', which means air quality is poor enough to
cause health effects in vulnerable people, such as breathing discomfort, but
the general public is unlikely to be affected, according to the AQI scale.
India's Delhi, Pakistan's Lahore
and Nepal's Kathmandu were the three most polluted cities, with AQI scores of 273,
208 and 190.
An AQI between 101 and 150 is considered 'unhealthy for
sensitive groups', while 151–200 is 'unhealthy', 201–300 is 'very unhealthy',
and anything above 301 is 'hazardous' and can cause serious health problems.
The AQI measures daily air quality,
showing how clean or polluted the air is and what health effects people might
experience.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on
five main pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide,
carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and ozone.
Dhaka has long faced serious air
pollution. The situation usually gets worse in winter and improves during the
monsoon season.
The World Health Organisation says air pollution causes around seven million
deaths worldwide each year, mainly due to stroke, heart disease, chronic
respiratory illness, lung cancer and acute infections.
















