Dhaka’s air quality ‘very unhealthy’ on Saturday, worst in world

Dhaka once again topped the list of global cities with the worst air quality on Saturday morning.

The capital Dhaka was at the top of the list of cities with the worst air around 9am today, with an air quality index (AQI) score of 249.

An AQI of 151 to 200 is considered "unhealthy," 201 to 300 is "very unhealthy," and 301 to 400 is "hazardous," offering major health concerns to locals. According to AQI score on Friday, Dhaka’s air quality was hazardous scoring 317.

India’s Kolkata and Iraq’s Baghdad got the second and third places with an AQI score of 220 and 218 respectively.

The AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone in Bangladesh.

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