Air Quality Index
Air Quality Index: Dhaka ranks 2nd worst
Dhaka’s air was classified as ‘unhealthy’ as the Bangladesh capital ranked the 2nd worst in Air Quality Index (AQI) Monday morning .
Dhaka’s AQI score was recorded at 186 at 9 am while India’s Delhi and Kolkata occupied the first and the third spots, with AQI scores of 236 and 177, 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.
Read: Dhaka’s air remains ‘unhealthy’
AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
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.
A report by the Department of Environment (DoE) and the World Bank in March 2019 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 starts deteriorating sharply due to the massive discharge of pollutant particles from construction work, rundown roads, brick kilns and other sources.
Read: Dhaka’s air quality remains ‘unhealthy’
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.
Dhaka’s air quality remains ‘unhealthy’
Dhaka's air quality continues to be 'unhealthy', but the densely populated capital of Bangladesh is no longer the world's most polluted city.
With an air quality index (AQI) reading at 196 at 8.57am, the capital has slipped to the third position in the latest list of world cities with the worst air quality.
Myanmar’s Yangon and Pakistan’s Lahore occupied the first and third spots, with AQI scores of 210 and 179, respectively.
An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups.
Similarly, 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.
Read: Air quality worst in Gazipur, best in Madaripur: Study
AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
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.
A report by the Department of Environment (DoE) and the World Bank in March 2019 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 starts deteriorating sharply due to the massive discharge of pollutant particles from construction work, rundown roads, brick kilns and other sources.
Read: No respite for Dhaka residents as air quality still ‘unhealthy’
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.
Dhaka is world’s second-most polluted city
The densely populated capital of Bangladesh continues to gasp for fresh air.
On Thursday, Dhaka was ranked the world's second-most polluted city, as its air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 258 at 9.42am, considered 'poor' or 'very unhealthy'.
Read:Dhaka is world's most polluted city
Russia’s Krasnoyarsk and India’s Delhi occupied the first and third spots, with AQI scores of 290 and 257, respectively, in the list of world cities with the worst air quality.
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.
AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
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 during winter and improves during monsoon.
A report by the Department of Environment (DoE) and the World Bank in March 2019 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 starts deteriorating sharply due to the massive discharge of pollutant particles from construction works, rundown roads, brick kilns and other sources.
Read: Dhaka's air quality is still 'unhealthy'
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 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.
Dhaka's air quality is still 'unhealthy'
Dhaka's air quality continues to be 'unhealthy', but that's good news for the residents of the densely populated capital of Bangladesh.
The capital has, in fact, slipped to the fourth position in the latest list of world cities with the worst air quality.
On Saturday, the capital's air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 189 at 9.04am.
Bosnia Herzegovina’s Sarajevo, Croatia’s Zagreb and Pakistan’s Lahore occupied the first three spots, with AQI scores of 268, 209 and 202, respectively.
An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups.
Read: Dhaka world's second-most polluted city
Similarly, 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.
AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
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 during winter and improves during monsoon.
A report by the Department of Environment (DoE) and the World Bank in March 2019 pointed out that the three main sources of air pollution in Dhaka "are brick kilns, fumes from vehicles and dust from construction sites".
Read: Can Dhaka improve its air quality?
With the advent of winter, the city’s air quality starts deteriorating sharply due to the massive discharge of pollutant particles from construction work, rundown roads, brick kilns and other sources.
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.
Dhaka is world's second-most polluted city
The densely populated metropolis continues to dominate the list of cities with the worst air quality in the world.
On Tuesday, Dhaka was ranked the world's second-most polluted city, as its air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 200 at 11am, which is considered ‘unhealthy'.
China’s Wuhan occupied the top spot with an AQI score of 218, while India’s Kolkata ranked third with an AQI of 193 in the latest list of world cities with the worst air quality.
An AQI between 151 and 200 is said to be ‘unhealthy’ particularly for sensitive groups. Active children and adults, particularly those with respiratory diseases such as asthma are usually advised to avoid all outdoor activities in this situation.
Read: Experts lament lack of steps to check air pollution in Dhaka city
Air Quality Index: Dhaka ranks 3rd worst
Dhaka, the densely populated capital of Bangladesh, continues to grapple for fresh air as the city ranks the third most polluted city.
Dhaka's air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 179 at 11:00 am on Monday, which is considered ‘unhealthy'.
Read: No respite from unhealthy air as Dhaka ranks 2nd worst in AQI
India’s Kolkata and Pakistan’s Lahore occupied the top two spots with AQI scores of 191 and 190, respectively, in the latest list of world cities with the worst air quality which are also considered ‘unhealthy’.
An AQI between 151 and 200 is said to be ‘unhealthy’ particularly 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 of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
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 during winter and improves during monsoon.
A report by the Department of Environment (DoE) and the World Bank in March 2019 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 starts deteriorating sharply due to the massive discharge of pollutant particles from construction works, rundown roads, brick kilns and other sources.
Read:Dhaka’s air quality remains ‘unhealthy’
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 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.
Dhaka is world’s second-most polluted city
The densely populated capital of Bangladesh has once again been rated as the world's second-most polluted city.
Dhaka's air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 204 at 08.56am on Thursday, which is considered 'poor' or 'very unhealthy'.
India’s Delhi and North Macedonia’s Skopje occupied the first and third spots, with AQI scores of 241 and 195, respectively, in the latest list of world cities with the worst air quality.
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.
AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.
Read: Dhaka continues to gasp for fresh air
Dhaka’s air quality still ‘unhealthy’
Dhaka's air quality is still 'unhealthy', but that's good news for the residents of the metropolis.
In fact, the densely populated capital of Bangladesh has slipped to the fourth position in the list of world cities with the worst air quality.
On Thursday, the capital's air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 185 around 9am.
Read: Globe bounces back to nearly 2019 carbon pollution levels
Pakistan’s Lahore, India’s Delhi and Bosnia Herzegovina’s Sarajevo occupied the top three spots respectively with scores of 478, 354 and 191.
An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups.
Similarly, 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.
AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.
Read: Can Dhaka improve its air quality?
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy during winter and improves during monsoon.
A report by the Department of Environment (DoE) and the World Bank in March 2019 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 starts deteriorating sharply due to the massive discharge of pollutant particles from construction works, rundown roads, brick kilns and other sources.
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 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.
Dhaka’s air quality improved in lockdown, a blessing in disguise!
The air quality of Dhaka city has made a marked improvement by some 45pc on average a day during the first seven days of the Covid-19 lockdown due to the low level of emissions.
According to a survey conducted by Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS) of Stamford University Bangladesh, four reasons effectively worked behind the strange improvement in the air quality.
Read Dhaka keeps grappling with ‘hazardous’ air
It said low traffic flow, suspension of road renovation and construction works and lack of activities to burn wastes led to the improvement in the air quality though it is said to be a short-lived gain.
Even the air pollution declined by 70pc in some areas in the city during the April 14-21 period, the survey says.
Read No respite from pollution as Dhaka’s air quality still ‘unhealthy’
The survey was carried out under a project titled “Promoting Democratic Governance and Collective Advocacy for Environmental Protection in Dhaka City” with financial support from USAID and UKAid.
As part of the survey, the air quality was measured using automatic equipment for eight hours a day in 10 areas of the capital.
Also read: Dhaka is world's most polluted city
The measurement showed that the air quality has improved on average 45pc a day from April 14 to 21 last.
Dhaka is world's most polluted city
The densely populated capital of Bangladesh has once again topped the list of world cities with the worst air quality.
Dhaka's air quality index (AQI) at 6.29 am read 489, considered 'severe'.
An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered 'poor', while a reading of 301 to 400 is said to be 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to city residents. And an AQI between 401 and 500 is said to be 'severe'.
Pakistan’s Karachi and India’s Kolkata occupied the second and third spots in the list of cities with the worst air quality, with AQI scores of 173 and 166, respectively.
AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
In Bangladesh, the overall AQI is based on five criteria pollutants – Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and Ozone (O3).
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Generally, the capital's air starts getting fresh when monsoon rains begin from mid-June.
Also read: Public health issues like air pollution, environment not getting due attention
In 2021, the average daily AQI score was 261 in January, 231 in February and 211 in March, which hit the record high in the last five years.
The average AQI scores were 247, 193 and 170 in January-March 2017 respectively, according to the analysis made by Prof Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, Founder and Director of Centre for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS), Stamford University, Bangladesh.
During these five years, the air quality was relatively better in 2020 as the average AQI scores were 235 in January, 220 in February and 175 in March in the year.
In January 2021, the air quality in Dhaka was hazardous (score 300+) for seven days, very unhealthy (score 200-300) for 23 days and unhealthy (151-200) for one day.
In the last three months, the highest average AQI score was 365 on January 20 and the lowest 144 on March 11, 2021.
Although the hazardous air quality poses serious health risks to residents, little is being done to check air pollution.
People are advised to avoid all outdoor exertion when the air quality is hazardous, said Dr Majumder, also chairman of the Department of Environmental Science of Stamford University.
What experts say
Experts say the exposure to a high level of air pollution weakens people’s respiratory and immune systems, causes various cold-related diseases, making them more susceptible to Covid-19.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also recently cautioned that the cities which have a higher level of air pollution should reinforce their preparedness against the deadly corona pandemic.
Also read: Minister vows tough fight against air pollution in Dhaka
Experts also say the use of masks by all must be ensured by enforcing law and motivating people as it is the most effective way to protect oneself from pollution and Covid-19.