Dhaka’s Air Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups

On Sunday, Dhaka became sixth-worst in the Air Quality Index ( AQI).

The capital city had a morning AQI ranking of 112 showing the air quality was unhealthy for sensitive groups, reports UNB.

A numerical value between 101 and 150 suggests that susceptible community members may suffer health effects. It is less probable that the general population would get influenced.

Brazil's Sau Paulo was top of the list of cities with the poorest air quality, with a ranking of 153.

The following places were respectively taken by Indonesia’s Jakarta, China’s Chengdu and Shenzhen. 

The AQI, a daily air quality monitoring calculator, informs citizens how safe or dirty a certain city's air is, and what the potential health consequences may be of interest to them.

‘No improvement in sight’

Dhaka, one of the world's most heavily populated towns, has long grappled with air pollution. The air quality usually worsens throughout the summer and displays indicators of monsoon recovery as the dust dies down.

Environment, Forests and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin acknowledged that air pollution in Dhaka hit an unacceptable amount when a nine-point order was released by the High Court to minimize air pollution in the city.

He said brick kilns were liable for 58 percent of air emissions in the capital in an interview with UNB.

He said in March last year, the Department of the Environment (DoE) and the World Bank issued a research study on air pollution sources in Bangladesh that defined brick kilns, car emissions and dust from construction sites as three key sources.

On January 13, the High Court issued a nine-point directive following a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB).