Dhaka’s air quality improves after morning rain

FT ONLINE 

The air quality in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka improved drastically after rain on Tuesday morning.

The city ranked 17 worst in the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 10:50 am.

Dhaka recorded 13.6mm rainfall in the morning, Ruhul Kuddus, a meteorologist said. “The capital will likely experience light rain every day till March 8,” he said.

Kuddus said a westerly and seasonal low lying over South Bay caused the rain, UNB reported.

After the rain, Dhaka had an AQI score of 90 at 10:50 am. The air was classified as ‘moderate’.

Pakistan’s Lahore, India’s Kolkata and Delhi occupied the top three spots in the list of cities with the worst air quality with AQI scores of 236, 197 and 183 respectively.

When the AQI value is between 51 and 100, air is acceptable but there may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.