registering an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 159, Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, has been ranked ninth among cities with the poorest air quality.

Dhaka’s air quality was classified as ‘unhealthy’ at 9.38am on Monday (January 5), according to the ranking published by IQAir.

India’s Delhi (184), India’s Kolkata (180) and China’s Shanghai (179) occupied the top three spots on the list.

Dhaka’s air quality was ranked unhealthy, and the PM2.5 concentration in Dhaka was 16.3 times higher than the WHO annual air quality guideline value.

Read more: Air pollution kills over 100,000 people in Bangladesh annually: Research

An AQI score between 51 and 100 means the air quality is moderate. It is categorised as unhealthy for sensitive groups if the score remains between 101 and 150.

When the score ranges between 151 and 200, it is considered unhealthy. Similarly, an AQI score of 201 to 300 is considered an emergency with health warnings. Any score above 300 is considered to be hazardous.

Being one of the world’s most densely-populated cities in the world, Dhaka has been struggling with poor air quality for a long time. The quality deteriorates further during the summer and winter but improves slightly in the monsoon.