Dhaka ranks worst in air quality index

Dhaka topped the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality. The AQI score of Dhaka’s air quality was 279 at about 12:00pm on Thursday (February 1).

Ghana’s Accra, Pakistan’s Karachi and Serbia’s Belgrade occupied the second, third and fourth spots on the list, with AQI scores of 193, 172 and 167, respectively.

When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be ‘very unhealthy’, while a reading of 301 and above is considered ‘hazardous’, posing serious health risks to residents.