Dhaka has claimed the undesirable title of the city with the worst air quality globally, registering an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 313 at 8:31 am on Thursday. The air quality was categorized as “hazardous,” indicating severe health risks for residents.
The AQI scale considers a range of 151-200 as “unhealthy,” 201-300 as “very unhealthy,” and 301 or above as “hazardous.” Kolkata, Mumbai, Lahore, and Yangon secured the next positions on the list, with AQI scores of 225, 197, 191, and 173, respectively. Dhaka’s struggle with air pollution is a recurring issue, particularly worsening during winter and improving in the monsoon season.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution contributes to approximately seven million global deaths annually, primarily linked to conditions such as stroke, heart disease, respiratory diseases, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.
