Dhaka continues to struggle with poor air quality, ranking fourth among cities with the worst air pollution on Tuesday morning (October 15, 2025), according to data released at 9:30am. The city recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 167, placing its air quality firmly in the ‘unhealthy’ category.

An AQI score between 150 and 200 is considered `unhealthy`, meaning the general public may begin to experience health effects, and sensitive groups could face more serious issues. For several days now, Dhaka’s AQI has consistently stayed above 160, raising ongoing concerns about public health, especially among vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing respiratory conditions.

Other cities topping the global pollution chart included Lahore (Pakistan) with an AQI of 260, Delhi (India) at 222, and Kolkata (India) at 174, placing Dhaka just behind them in fourth place.

The AQI is a standardized measure used worldwide to assess daily air quality. In Bangladesh, it is calculated based on the concentration of five major pollutants: PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen dioxide (NO?), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO?), and ozone (O?).

Air quality in Dhaka typically deteriorates in the winter months due to low wind speeds and increased use of biomass and fossil fuels, while it tends to improve during the monsoon season when rainfall helps to clear airborne pollutants.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is a major environmental health risk, responsible for an estimated seven million deaths globally each year, primarily due to stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and acute infections..