Dhaka's air quality 'moderate' -

Dhaka, the overcrowded capital city of Bangladesh, has ranked 17th on the list of cities with the worst air quality with an AQI score of 93 at 9:30am on Friday morning, reports UNB.

Today's air was classified as 'moderate,' referring to a bit threat, according to the AQI index. However, the city residents experienced unhealthy air quality for the past few days.

When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 50 and 100, air quality is considered 'moderate', usually sensitive individuals should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion, between 101 and 150, air quality is considered 'unhealthy for sensitive groups', between 150 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.

India's Delhi, Egypt's Cairo and Nepal's Kathmandu cities respectively occupied the first second and third spots on the list, with AQI scores of 195, 174 and 174 respectively.

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.