Bangladesh, Dhaka’s Air Quality Worst in the World This Morning

At 9:00 a.m. today, Dhaka had an AQI score of 227, making it the city with the worst air quality in the world. The AQI index rated the air quality for today as “very unhealthy”.

The air quality is classified as “moderate” when the AQI value for particle pollution is between 50 and 100. Generally, people who are sensitive to pollution should limit prolonged outdoor exertion. Between 101 and 150, the air quality is classified as “unhealthy for sensitive groups”. Between 150 and 200, the air quality is classified as “unhealthy”, between 201 and 300 as “very unhealthy”, and a reading of 301+ is classified as “hazardous”, posing serious health risks to the residents.

India’s Delhi, Pakistan’s Lahore and Indonesia’s Jakarta occupied the second, third and fourth spots in the list, with AQI scores of 189, 178 and 165, respectively.

Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.