Dhaka's air quality was classified as unhealthy on Sunday morning.

Dhaka, the densely populated capital of Bangladesh, ranked eighth among cities with the worst air quality on Sunday morning, recording an AQI score of 154 at 9am. The air quality was deemed "unhealthy," a significant decline from Saturday's "moderate" rating, when the AQI was 97, according to the AQI index.

An AQI score between 50 and 100 indicates "moderate" air quality, where sensitive individuals should limit prolonged outdoor activity. Scores between 101 and 150 are classified as "unhealthy for sensitive groups," 151-200 as "unhealthy," 201-300 as "very unhealthy," and readings above 301 are considered "hazardous," posing serious health risks.

Pakistan's Lahore, India's Delhi, and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates held the top three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 409, 272, and 174, respectively.

The AQI provides daily updates on air quality, highlighting how clean or polluted the air in a specific city is and its potential health impacts. In Bangladesh, AQI is calculated based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone.

Dhaka has long struggled with air pollution, particularly worsening in the winter and improving during the monsoon. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution contributes to an estimated seven million deaths globally each year, primarily due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.