Online Report : Dhaka’s air quality has shown significant improvement, with the capital dropping out of the list of the world’s top 15 most polluted cities.

Compared to Thursday, level of harmful particles in the city`s air was recorded to be lower on Friday.

According to Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 10:00 AM on Friday, Dhaka scored 93; classified as “moderate” and considered acceptable for sensitive groups. On the global list of polluted cities, Dhaka ranked 18th on Friday.

India’s capital, Delhi, topped the list with an AQI of 210, indicating an “unhealthy” level of air pollution.

Other cities in the top five include Cairo, Egypt (174), Kathmandu, Nepal (174), Dubai, UAE (161) and Manama, Bahrain (152).

AQI, which measures pollution levels and provides daily updates on air conditions, is maintained by Switzerland-based organization IQAir.

According to global standards, an AQI below 50 is considered “good.” Scores between 51 and 100 are “moderate,” 101–150 is “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” and 151–200 is “unhealthy” for all. An AQI of 201–300 is classified as “very unhealthy,” while anything above 300 is considered “hazardous.”

Air pollution continues to be a major global health concern.

A study published in British Medical Journal (BMJ) in November 2023 found that fossil fuel-related air pollution causes 5.2 million deaths worldwide each year.

Meanwhile, World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that combined exposure to household and ambient air pollution results in 6.7 million deaths annually.