<div><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Dhaka ranked third on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality on Wednesday morning.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Its air quality continued to be in the 'unhealthy' zone with an air quality index (AQI) score of 186 at 9:13 am.</div><div><br></div><div>Pakistan’s Lahore and India’s Delhi occupied the first two spots on the list, with AQI scores of 264 and 251, respectively.</div><div><br></div><div>An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups while an AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'poor', while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.</div><div><br></div><div>In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.</div><div><br></div><div>Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.</div><div><br></div><div>Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing a heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.</div><div><br></div><div>As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>