Dhaka’s air quality stays ‘unhealthy’

Dhaka's air quality showed no improvement Friday morning as it continued to be in the 'unhealthy' zone, with an air quality index (AQI) score of 166 at 9 am.

The metropolis ranked sixth in the list of world cities with the worst air quality while Pakistan’s Lahore, India’s Delhi, and China’s Wuhan occupied the first three spots in the list, with AQI scores of382, 373 and 178, respectively.

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

With the advent of winter, the city’s air quality starts deteriorating sharply due to the massive discharge of pollutant particles from construction works, rundown roads, brick kilns and other sources.

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