Dhaka`s air quality turned “moderate” on Monday morning, with an AQI score of 93 at 9:00 am, placing it 19th on the global list of cities with the worst air quality. India’s Delhi, Nepal’s Kathmandu, and Pakistan’s Lahore topped the list with AQI scores of 280, 233, and 221, respectively.

An AQI between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’, where sensitive individuals should limit prolonged outdoor exertion. A score between 101 and 150 is categorized as ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, 150 to 200 as ‘unhealthy’, 201 to 300 as ‘very unhealthy’, and scores above 301 are deemed ‘hazardous’, posing serious health risks.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) measures air pollution levels, guiding people on the cleanliness of the air and potential health impacts. The AQI in Bangladesh considers pollutants such as particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.

Dhaka has long faced air pollution challenges, with air quality often deteriorating in winter and improving during the monsoon season.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution contributes to an estimated seven million deaths globally each year, mainly due to stroke, heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.