Published :
Updated :
For all latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel.
The government has launched a real-time air quality index to monitor the air quality across the country.
This initiative aims to inform the public about the health effects of air pollution levels and enable actions to control air pollution and protect public health.
Real-time air quality will be monitored from 16 Continuous Air Quality Monitoring System (CAMS) installed in Dhaka and other departmental and industrial cities of the country.
The real-time data will be available on the Department of Environment's website.
Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain inaugurated the programme at the beginning of the 2nd meeting of the National Committee on Air Pollution Control, held in the meeting room of the Cabinet Division on Sunday, according to a statement from the Ministry of Environment.
Air quality monitoring data obtained through 16 CAMS across Bangladesh, managed by the Environment Department, will be automatically analysed, processed and calculated as AQI and published on the Environment Department’s website.
All these CAMS will continuously monitor six air pollutants- PM 10, PM 2.5, ozone, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide- and calculate the data as the Air Quality Index, it added.
The AQI values are categorised into different levels based on the health effects of air pollution on humans. An AQI value of 0-50 is classified as good air quality, 51-100 as moderate, 101-150 as harmful for sensitive people, 151-200 as unhealthy, 201-300 as very unhealthy and above 300 as hazardous.
The air quality monitoring data will be collected from a total of 16 CAMS installed in different locations, including, Agargaon, Bark of Farmgate, Dar es Salaam in Dhaka, Savar, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Mymensingh, Agrabad in Chittagong, Television Centre in Chittagong ,Sylhet, Comilla, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Barisal, Khulna and.