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The capital city of Bangladesh ranked fourth among cities with the worst air quality globally on Sunday, registering a hazardous Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 234 at 9 am.
This classification falls under the "very unhealthy" category, indicating significant risks to residents' health, Dhaka Tribune reported. The AQI is a global standard used to report daily air quality and assess its potential health impacts. In Dhaka, the air quality has consistently remained poor over the past several days. For context, AQI values between 201 and 300 are deemed "very unhealthy," signifying serious health hazards, particularly for vulnerable populations. Cities faring even worse than Dhaka include Delhi in India, Lahore in Pakistan, and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which recorded AQI scores of 666, 358, and 272, respectively. Air quality in Dhaka typically worsens during the winter, when colder temperatures and seasonal activities make pollution levels soar, and improves during the monsoon season, reported the Dhaka Tribune. The AQI in Bangladesh is determined based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and ozone. Air pollution has been a longstanding issue for Dhaka, with its dense population, rapid urbanization, and unregulated industrial emissions contributing to worsening conditions. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is a global health crisis, causing an estimated seven million deaths annually due to increased risks of stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and respiratory infections. With its current ranking, Dhaka joins a growing list of cities struggling to mitigate air pollution, Dhaka Tribune reported. Addressing this issue requires coordinated efforts, stricter regulations, and innovative solutions to safeguard public health and the environment. (ANI)
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