Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, has been ranked 15th among the 126 most polluted cities in the world, according to the latest findings from IQ Air, a Switzerland-based organization dedicated to monitoring air quality. 

The city’s air quality index (AQI) on Thursday morning (April 3) stood at 110, indicating that the air quality is "unhealthy for sensitive groups," including children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing health conditions.

As of 8:50 am Bangladesh time, Dhaka’s air quality posed significant health risks to vulnerable populations. With an AQI of 110, the city’s air falls into the "moderate" category on the IQ Air scale, which classifies air quality as "tolerable." 

However, this level is still harmful to individuals who are particularly sensitive to air pollution, such as those suffering from respiratory or heart conditions.

IQ Air regularly monitors and reports on global air quality, offering real-time insights through its air quality index, which serves as a critical tool in understanding the pollution levels in urban areas. 

The index measures the concentration of particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone in the air, providing an overall view of how clean or polluted the air is in each city.

Air quality is ranked on a scale from 0 to 500, with a score between 0 and 50 indicating "good" air quality, 51 to 100 marking it as "moderate," and 101 to 150 classified as "unhealthy for sensitive groups." 

Scores above 150 are categorized as "unhealthy," while levels over 200 are deemed "very unhealthy." Anything above 300 is considered "hazardous."

At the time of the report, the city of Delhi, India, topped the global air pollution chart with a staggering AQI score of 647, followed by Kathmandu, Nepal, with 356, and again Delhi at the third spot. 

These cities, along with Dhaka, represent the growing concern over air quality in South Asia, with many urban centers facing dangerous pollution levels.

BDST: 1047 HRS, APR 03, 2025
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