Dhaka again world's second most polluted city

Dhaka's air quality deteriorated again as the country ranked second in the list of world cities with the worst air quality on Friday.

The overpopulated metropolis recorded an air quality index (AQI) score of 178 at 9am on Friday.

An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups.

The United Arab Emirates' Dubai and Vietnam's Hanoi occupied the first and third spots in the list, with AQI scores of 188, and 164, respectively.

An AQI between 50 and 100 is considered 'moderate' with an acceptable air quality. However, there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.

Similarly, an AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'poor', while a reading of. 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.

In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants - Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), N02, CO, S02 and Ozone.

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

Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide.

Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person's chances of developing a heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.

As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.