Dhaka Fifth on Global Air Pollution List, Lahore Worst

Air pollution in the world's major cities has again reached alarming levels. According to the live Air Quality Index (AQI) of air-quality monitoring organisation IQAir, Bangladesh's capital Dhaka ranked fifth on Monday morning among the cities with the most polluted air in the world, with an AQI score of 167.

At the top of the list is Pakistan's historic city of Lahore, with an AQI score of 241 — the highest of any city in the ranking. In other words, Lahore had the most polluted air among the world's major cities on Monday morning, and Dhaka's name appeared near the top of the same list.

According to Monday morning's data, more than half of the top 10 most polluted cities are in South Asia. The picture suggests that, right at the start of the dry season, air pollution is taking a severe turn across the whole region.

According to IQAir's real-time data, India's Mumbai is second with a score of 184, and Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur has a score of 171. India's Kolkata is fourth with 169, just one place above Dhaka.

Sixth on the list is Indonesia's Jakarta, with a score of 165. India's Delhi is seventh with 163, and tenth is Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a score of 156.

Under the AQI standard, a score between 150 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy'. Dhaka's score of 167 falls within that range, meaning the capital's air on Monday morning was, by the official standard, at an unhealthy level.

In this situation, environmental experts have advised caution. In their view, children, elderly people and those suffering from respiratory illnesses should avoid going outdoors, and if they do go out, they should wear a mask.

That South Asian cities together occupy the top of the list is especially worrying. Lahore, Mumbai, Kolkata, Dhaka and Delhi — five major cities of the region — are all within the top seven, so this is not an isolated picture for one city but raises questions about air quality across the entire region.

With such a picture emerging at the start of the dry season, experts say caution is needed for the days ahead as well. These air-quality figures change on the basis of daily live data, so regular monitoring will show where each city stands on the list at any given time.

For Dhaka residents, the most important thing for now is to follow the precautions — especially for children, elderly people and respiratory patients. Environmental experts have advised avoiding unnecessary trips outdoors on days of unhealthy air and wearing a mask when going out.