Monsoon showers brought much-needed relief to residents of the capital today, significantly improving Dhaka`s air quality as steady rainfall washed away dust and airborne pollutants.
According to the Air Quality Index (AQI), Dhaka ranked 93rd among the world`s polluted cities, recording an AQI score of 33 at 9:40 am, placing its air quality in the "good" category.
The improvement was notable compared to Thursday morning, when the capital`s AQI stood at 66, categorised as "moderate."
Among the world`s major cities, Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, topped the pollution list with an AQI score of 206, followed by Kampala, Uganda, with 156 and Jakarta, Indonesia, with 142.
According to AQI standards, a score between 0 and 50 is considered "good", while 51 to 100 is classified as "moderate." A reading of 101 to 150 is deemed "unhealthy for sensitive groups," 151 to 200 "unhealthy," 201 to 300 "very unhealthy," and above 301 "hazardous."
The AQI measures daily air quality based on the concentration of major pollutants and indicates potential health risks associated with current conditions.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is calculated using five key pollutants: particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and ozone.
Dhaka has long struggled with poor air quality, particularly during the dry winter months, while the monsoon season typically brings cleaner air by reducing dust and pollutant levels.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is responsible for an estimated seven million premature deaths worldwide each year, mainly due to stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.
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