On Tuesday, April 30th, Dhaka's air quality marked "unhealthy," earning the city the fifth spot on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality. With an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 159 at 9:05 am, Dhaka joined the ranks of cities grappling with severe air pollution issues.

Leading the list were India's Delhi, Nepal's Kathmandu, and Indonesia's Medan, with AQI scores of 177, 172, and 168, respectively.

In Bangladesh, the AQI is determined based on five criteria: pollutants, including Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and Ozone. Dhaka's struggle with air pollution is longstanding, with the city's air quality typically deteriorating in winter and improving during the monsoon season.

Air pollution stands as one of the foremost risk factors for death and disability worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution claims an estimated seven million lives globally every year, primarily due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.

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