Dhaka's air quality still 'unhealthy'

The densely populated capital of Bangladesh continues to wait for cleaner air despite slipping a couple of notches in the list of world cities with the worst air quality, reports UNB.

Dhaka has, in fact, been ranked the fourth-most polluted city in the world. The capital's air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 188 around 10.15 am on Thursday. The air was classified as 'unhealthy'.

An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups. India's Delhi, Mongolia's Ulaanbaatar and Pakistan's Lahore occupied the first three slots in the list of cities with the worst air quality with AQI scores of 376, 243 and 233 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 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.