Dhaka Air 'Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups', Lahore Tops World's Polluted Cities List

Dhaka ranks 13th among 125 cities in the world for air pollution today. With its air quality index score, the capital is in the category 'unhealthy for sensitive groups'.

On Saturday (31 October) at 8:50 am, according to data from international air quality monitoring organisation IQAir, Dhaka's air quality index, or AQI score, was 127. This level has been marked as 'unhealthy for sensitive groups'.

Lahore in Pakistan is in first place on the list of the world's polluted cities.

At the same time, China's Honghu city is in second place on the list, with a score of 164. Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam is third with a score of 162. The air quality of both these cities has been considered 'unhealthy'.

With scores of 162 and 158, China's Shanghai and Pakistan's Karachi are in fourth and fifth place on the list respectively. The air in both cities has also been considered 'unhealthy'.

The air quality scores of the other cities in the top ten for polluted air are between 99 and 154.

According to the international air quality index, an AQI score of zero to 50 is considered 'good'. A score of 51 to 100 is considered 'moderate'.

An AQI score of 101 to 150 is counted as 'unhealthy for sensitive groups'. Dhaka's score today falls within this range.

A score of 151 to 200 is generally considered 'unhealthy'. A score between 201 and 300 is 'very unhealthy', and reaching between 301 and 400 is considered 'hazardous'.

In such conditions, health experts advise children, the elderly and people who are ill to stay indoors, and others to limit their outdoor activities.