New Age | Despite the rain, the air in Dhaka is moderate with an AQI value of 65

Despite the rains, Dhaka, the crowded capital of Bangladesh, is ranked 31st on the list of cities with the worst air quality with an AQI value of 65 as of 9:00 a.m. on Thursday morning.

The air on Thursday was classified as “moderate” according to the AQI index.

If the AQI value for particle pollution is between 50 and 100, the air quality is considered “moderate.” Sensitive people should usually consider limiting prolonged physical activity outdoors. If the value is between 101 and 150, the air quality is considered “unhealthy for sensitive groups” (between 150 and 150). 200 is “unhealthy”, between 201 and 300 is considered “very unhealthy”, while a value of 301 and above is considered “dangerous” and poses a serious health risk to residents.

Lahore in Pakistan, Jakarta in Indonesia and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo ranked first, second and third in the list with AQI values ​​of 220, 179 and 160 respectively.

The AQI, an index used to report daily air quality, tells people how clean or polluted a particular city's air is and what associated health effects might be of concern to them.

The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and ozone.

Dhaka has long struggled with air pollution problems. Air quality usually becomes unhealthy during winters and improves during monsoons.

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated seven million people worldwide die from air pollution each year, largely due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.