Dhaka has been at the top of air pollution for the last three consecutive days

 Dhaka is at the top among 110 cities in the world in air pollution on Sunday (January 14, 2024) morning. Dhaka’s air quality score of IQAir was 284 around 10 am on January 16, 2024.

This score is considered very unhealthy. Air pollution has been at its peak for three consecutive days since last Friday (January 16, 2024).

On January 16, 2024, India’s Delhi and China’s Wuhan were ranked second and third in air pollution worldwide. The scores of these two cities are 229 and 203 respectively.

This situation of air pollution is regularly highlighted by the Switzerland-based organization IQAir. This live or instant AQI index is based on air quality and informs and alerts people about how clean or polluted the air is in a particular city. According to IQAir, particulate matter (PM2.5) is Dhaka’s main air pollution source.

On January 16, 2024, the amount of particulate matter in Dhaka’s air is 45 times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) standard. Due to this condition of the air, advice for everyone, if anybody goes out, he/she must wear a mask.

People in sensitive groups are most at risk when air pollution is high. Among them are the elderly, children, pregnant women and people suffering from complex diseases. Experts advise that special care should be taken about them.

According to the IQAir criteria, a score of 51 to 100 is considered ‘moderate’ or ‘acceptable’ air quality. A score of 101 to 150 is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’.

A score of 151 to 200 is ‘unhealthy’ air. A score of 201 to 300 is considered ‘very unhealthy’ air. A score of 301 and above is considered ‘disastrous’ or ‘risky’.