Dhaka ranks third in air pollution today, Delhi first

Today, Dhaka is third in the list of cities with polluted air in the world. Dhaka's air quality was 'unhealthy' with an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 175 at 9:15 am today. India's capital, New Delhi, has the highest air pollution in the world today, with a score of 199.

Yesterday, Dhaka was ranked sixth in the list of cities with polluted air in the world. Mumbai, another city in India, is ranked second in air pollution with a score of 188 at 9:30 this morning. Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, ranked fourth with a score of 159. And with a score of 157, India's Kolkata ranks fifth.

In January this year in Dhaka, the city dwellers spent the most number of days in the inclement weather. The capital's air quality was poor for a total of 9 days in January, the highest in the last 7 years. This trend still continues.

Switzerland-based air quality monitoring technology firm IQ Air publishes the list of cities with the most polluted air. The AQI index, based on daily air quality, gives people information about how clean or polluted the air in a particular city is and whether they may pose any health risks.

An AQI score of zero to 50 is considered good. 51 to 100 is considered moderate. And for sensitive groups, a score of 101 to 150 is considered unhealthy. 151 to 200 is considered unhealthy.

Similarly, an AQI score of 201 to 300 is considered very unhealthy. And if it is more than 301 it is considered as disaster. Air pollution poses serious health risks. It is harmful to people of all ages. However, air pollution is very harmful for children, sick people, elderly and pregnant women.

November, December, January and February are the four months of the year when the air in Dhaka is more polluted. Among them, air quality is worst in January.

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