Dhaka ranked third on the global list of cities with the worst air quality on Saturday morning.

The air in Dhaka city was classified as ‘very unhealthy’ with an AQI score of 212 at 9:01am.

Pakistan’s Lahore and Karachi occupied the first and second spots on the list, with AQI scores of 270 and 214, respectively.

An AQI between 151 and 200 is considered ‘unhealthy’, while 201-300 is ‘very unhealthy’, and 301 and above is ‘hazardous’, posing severe health risks.

The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.

The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.

Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues.

As per the World Health Organisation, air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.