Air pollution has been steadily rising in many cities across the world, and for years, Dhaka has been among those heavily affected. The Bangladeshi megacity has often ranked near the top of the world’s most polluted cities list. However, recent days have brought some relief, with air quality showing noticeable improvement. On Sunday morning (August 10), Dhaka’s residents received particularly good news.

According to data from international air quality monitoring company IQAir, at around 7:30 AM Dhaka recorded an AQI score of 37, placing it 89th among the world’s most polluted cities. This score is considered to indicate good air quality.

At the same time, Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, topped the global pollution list with a score of 192. It was followed by Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) with 158, Kampala (Uganda) with 152, Jakarta (Indonesia) with 142, and Batam (Indonesia) with 117.

An AQI score between 0 and 50 is considered good, while 51–100 is regarded as moderate. Scores of 101–150 are unhealthy for sensitive groups, 151–200 are categorized as unhealthy, and 201–300 are considered very unhealthy. At these levels, children, the elderly, and those with health conditions are advised to stay indoors, and others are urged to limit outdoor activities.

An AQI between 301 and 400 is classified as hazardous, posing serious health risks to all residents of the affected area.