<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">The air quality in Dhaka was marked as ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ this morning (September 18, 2023), despite rain in parts of the capital last night.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With an air quality index (AQI) score of 108 at 8:30 am, Dhaka ranked 8th on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality, according to IQAir.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dubai of the United Arab Emirates, Kuching of Malaysia and China's Shanghai occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 158, 156 and 134, respectively.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">An AQI between 51 and 100 is considered 'moderate', AQI between 101 and 150 is considered ‘unhealthy', and between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>