Dhaka’s air quality ’moderate’ this morning

Dhaka's air quality is ‘moderate’ on Saturday morning, according to the Air Quality Index (AQI).

With the AQI score of 92 at 9:31 am, Dhaka ranked 12th in the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.

China’s Beijing, Pakistan’s Lahore and Indonesia’s Jakarta occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 169, 159, and 152, respectively.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered to be “good” while between 50 and 100 it is considered “moderate”.

In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants — Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.

Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.

Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide.

As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.