Dhaka ranked second worst in the Air Quality Index (AQI) yesterday.

The city scored 197 at 9:45pm, indicating that its air quality is unhealthy.

The score between 151 and 200 indicates that city residents may begin to experience health issues.

India’s Delhi, China’s Hangzhou and Indonesia’s Jakarta were at first, third and fourth places of the table with scores of 229, 164 and 161 respectively.

Air quality between 201 and 300 is classified as “very unhealthy” and score between 301 and 500 is classified as “hazardous”.

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.

Dhaka, one of the most densely populated cities in the world, has been grappling with air pollution for long.

The air quality generally worsens during summer and winter. It shows signs of improvement in monsoon when the dust settles.