<div style="text-align: justify; "><div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Dhaka's air quality was marked as ‘moderate’ this morning.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>With an air quality index (AQI) score of 88 at 8:20 am, Dhaka ranked 14th on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.</div><div><br></div><div>South Africa’s Johannesburg, Iraq’s Baghdad and Vietnam’s Hanoi occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 162, 161 and 155, respectively.</div><div><br></div><div>An AQI between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’, AQI between 101 and 150 is considered 'unhealthy', AQI 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><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.</div><div><br></div><div>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><br></div><div>bnbd24/kh</div></div>