Dhaka’s air ranked fifth-worst in the Air Quality Index (AQI) this morning amid rising fears that the country could be hit by a second-wave of coronavirus.
Deteriorating air quality can pose a big challenge to the country’s fight to keep its people safe from Covid-19.
Dhaka had an AQI score of 171 at 11:51am and the air was classified as “unhealthy”.
When the AQI value is between 151 and 200, everyone may begin to experience health effects while members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.
According to the AQI Index, Kazakhstan’s Nur-Sultan, Kyrgyzstan’s Bishkek and India’s Delhi occupied the top three spots.
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution. Its air quality usually improves during monsoon.
Bangladesh has been named the world’s most polluted country for PM2.5 exposure while Dhaka has emerged as the second most polluted city in the 2019 World Air Quality Report.
The smoke emitted from the brick kilns, which have been set up in many areas illegally, are blamed as one of the main causes of air pollution.
Globally, nine out of every ten people breathe unclean air, and air pollution causes an estimated seven million premature deaths every year, predominantly in low- and middle-income countries, according to UN.
