Dhaka's air quality remains moderate

Dhaka's air quality remains 'moderate' on Friday.

With an air quality index (AQI) score of 65 at 9.10am, the metropolis ranked 31st in the list of world cities with the worst air quality.

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.

The United Arab Emirates' Dubai, Taiwan’s Kaohsiung and Pakistan’s Karachi occupied the first three spots in the list, with AQI scores of 156, 153 and 141, respectively.

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

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), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.

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