Dhaka’s air remained in the “unhealthy” band on Saturday (October 18), with the capital ranking fifth among the world’s most polluted major cities at 08:00 local time, according to IQAir’s real-time index. 

The city recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 180 at that hour, placing overall conditions in the “unhealthy” category. 

IQAir lists PM2.5—fine particulate matter—as the principal pollutant driving Dhaka’s poor air quality. 

At the 08:00 reading, the city’s PM2.5 burden was estimated at roughly 20 times the World Health Organization’s guideline level for safe exposure. 

The WHO’s updated Air Quality Guidelines set a PM2.5 annual benchmark of 5 µg/m³, underscoring the scale of exceedance implied by Dhaka’s “unhealthy” AQI reading. 

Neighborhood-level readings varied across the city. Mirpur’s Eastern Housing area registered the morning’s highest pollution among monitored sites, with an AQI of 227—“very unhealthy”—followed by elevated readings in Kalyanpur, Goran, sites near a Gulshan school, Becharam Deuri, Madani Avenue’s Base Edgewater Outdoor, and Shanta Forum, all within the “unhealthy” range. 

IQAir’s AQI legend classifies 151–200 as “unhealthy,” 201–300 as “very unhealthy,” and above 300 as “hazardous.” 

By IQAir’s scale, 0–50 denotes “good” air quality and 51–100 “moderate,” while 101–150 is “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” 

Saturday’s overall reading of 180 therefore indicates a heightened risk of adverse health effects, particularly for children, older adults and those with respiratory or cardiac conditions. 

SMS/