Bangladesh 9th most polluted country

Bangladesh is the ninth most polluted country in the world according to the global Environmental Performance Index (EPI) for 2014.

The Index, released on January 25, at World Economic Forum, in Davos also listed Bangladesh as the country with most polluted air quality around the world in the survey conducted using data from 178 countries.

The index measured the ranks based on the position of the countries on health impacts, air quality, water and sanitation, water resources, agriculture, forests, fisheries and biodiversity and habitat.

It said countries with 'significant political or economic strife' are among the poorest performers in 2014. These factors have sidelined the environmental policies in those countries.

According to the index, Bangladesh was one of the frontrunners in the field of agriculture, ranking 17th, with a development of 48 per cent over the last 10 years.

In 2010, Bangladesh was ranked 139th in overall by the EPI. In less than four years, the country has slid down to 169th in the environmental front. Switzerland was the least polluted country in the statistics for 2014. Four other less polluted countries were: Luxembourg, Australia, Singapore and Czech Republic.