Dhaka's Air Remains Unhealthy Even on Holiday

On this Friday, the weekly holiday, Dhaka's air quality remains unhealthy. The capital of Bangladesh ranks sixth globally for air pollution today, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 177, placing the air quality in the "unhealthy" category.

This information was provided by the air quality monitoring organization IQAir, based in Switzerland, at 9:30 am on Friday, March 21.

At this time, the most polluted air in Dhaka is in the Mirpur Eastern Housing area, with an AQI score of 204, which falls into the "very unhealthy" range. Other areas with unhealthy air quality include the US Embassy (188), Becharam Dewri (180), Hemayetpur in Savar (179), Kalyanpur (179), Madani Sarani Base Edgewater (177), and Shanta Forum in Tejgaon (170).

Globally, Lahore, Pakistan, holds the top spot with an AQI score of 212, followed by Delhi, India, at 205. The air quality in these cities is categorized as "very unhealthy." Other cities on the list include Hanoi, Vietnam (198), Kathmandu, Nepal (184), and Algiers, Algeria (179), all of which are also considered to have unhealthy air.

IQAir, a Switzerland-based organization, tracks live air quality and provides real-time indices to reflect a city's air pollution level. According to their standards:

• An AQI score between 0-50 is considered "good."
• A score between 51-100 is "moderate" or acceptable.
• A score between 101-150 is unhealthy for sensitive groups.
• A score between 151-200 is "unhealthy."
• A score between 201-300 is "very unhealthy."
• A score above 301 is considered "hazardous."