United News of Bangladesh

Dhaka ranked third on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality with an AQI score of 251 at 9:00 am on Tuesday morning (December 02). Dhaka’s air was classified as 'very unhealthy', according to the air quality and pollution city ranking. India's Delhi and Kolkata and Pakistan’s Lahore occupied the first, second and fourth spots in the list, with AQI scores of 396, 269 and 200, respectively. Read more: Dhaka’s air quality 7th worst this morning An AQI between 151 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy' while 201-300 is 'very unhealthy' and 301-400 is considered 'hazardous', posing severe health risks to residents. The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them. The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five 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. Read more: How to Reduce Air Pollution in Bangladesh?

Air pollution remains one of the biggest challenges for Bangladesh, with its capital ranked as the 4th most polluted city in the world on Monday morning (December 01, 2025). At 10:10 am, Dhaka’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 215. Pakistan’s Lahore  and India’s Delhi occupied the first and second  spots, with AQI scores of 338 and 288 respectively. Besides, India’s Kolkata is in 3rd position with AQI score 233, according to IQAir. An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered unhealthy, particularly for sensitive groups. Similarly, an AQI between 201 and 300 is classified as very unhealthy, while a reading between 301 and 400 is deemed hazardous, posing serious health risks to residents. Read more: Dhaka's air quality turns `unhealthy for sensitive groups’ AQI — an index for reporting daily air quality — is used by government agencies to inform people how clean or polluted the air in a particular city is, and what associated health effects may be of concern. 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. Its air quality usually becomes unhealthy during winter and improves during the monsoon. A report by the Department of Environment (DoE) and the World Bank pointed out that the three main sources of air pollution in Dhaka “are brick kilns, fumes from vehicles, and dust from construction sites”. With the advent of winter, the city’s air quality deteriorates sharply due to the massive discharge of pollutant particles from construction work, rundown roads, brick kilns and other sources. Read more: How to Reduce Air Pollution in Bangladesh? Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing heart disease, chronic respiratory disease, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies. According to 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.

Dhaka’s air ranked 6th most polluted in the world this morning (June 4, 2023) as per the Air Quality Index (AQI). The air in Dhaka was categorised as ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, with an AQI score of 147 at 9:50 am. Iraq's Baghdad, Qatar's Doha and India's Delhi occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 718, 163, and 156, respectively. Read: Urgent, coordinated actions needed to curb air pollution in South Asia: World Bank When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 151 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents. 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 the winter and improves during the monsoon. Read more: Environment Minister wants Britain's cooperation in tackling climate risk.

Dhaka has been ranked the second most polluted city in the world with ‘very unhealthy’ air quality this morning. Dhaka’s air quality index (AQI) score was 215 at 9:15 am today (December 08, 2022). An AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be ‘very unhealthy’, while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered ‘hazardous’, posing serious health risks to residents. Pakistan’s Lahore and Mongolia’s Ulaanbaatar occupied the first and third spots in the list, with AQI scores of 343 and 201, respectively. Also read: Dhaka’s air quality ‘very unhealthy’ An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered ‘unhealthy’, particularly for sensitive groups. In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five kind of 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. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing a heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies. Read More: Air pollution 2nd biggest cause of deaths in Bangladesh in 2019, cost about 3.9-4.4% of GDP: World Bank 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. The worsening air quality of Dhaka city is threatening the health and lives of its residents.

Dhaka's air quality continued to be in the 'unhealthy' zone on Thursday (November 25, 2022) morning. With an air quality index (AQI) score of 206 at 9:30 am, Dhaka ranked fourth in the list of cities around the world with the worst air quality. Dhaka AQI and Air Pollution An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups. Read more: Dhaka’s air quality stays ‘unhealthy’ Iraq’s Baghdad, Pakistan’s Lahore and Karachi occupied the first, second and third spots in the list, with AQI scores of 337, 255 and 221, respectively. An AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'poor', while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents. In Bangladesh, the AQI score is based on five kinds of pollutants — particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone. Read More: Indian youth on plastic pollution awareness tour now in Chandpur Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon. Effects of Air Pollution on Health Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing a heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies. 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. Read more: Dhaka's air quality turns 'moderate'