<\/p>\n
A thick layer of toxic smog wreathed Bangladesh\u2019s capital of Dhaka on Wednesday as the air quality index plummeted into the \u201chazardous\u201d category, while similar conditions prevailed in New Delhi, the capital of neighbouring India.<\/p>\n
The air quality in Dhaka, one of the world\u2019s most crowded cities with more than 20 million people, has deteriorated as large projects spring up and fossil fuels get overused, bringing health problems for many.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe often suffer from asthma, fever and allergies while operating rickshaws on the streets,\u201d said Rafiq Mondal, who pulls the traditional two-wheeled vehicles to earn his living.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is often very painful,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Images from drones equipped with cameras showed smog at 9am that put Dhaka in top spot among the world\u2019s most polluted cities, with a \u201chazardous\u201d index level of 325, Swiss group IQAir said.<\/p>\n
But conditions improved slightly, with the index dropping to 177, in the \u201cunhealthy\u201d range, by 1.35pm.<\/p>\n
City authorities spray the streets with water to help the dust settle, but residents called for greater efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe air pollution is taking its toll,\u201d said one of them, Wasim Akhter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith all the mega projects like the metro rail overhead, there is a lot of construction material everywhere [\u2026] Measures must be taken more seriously,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In a year when smog briefly put Sydney on par with New Delhi, the World Bank has urged Bangladesh to coordinate more closely with neighbours in South Asia to clean up the air.<\/p>\n
Air pollution, often a mix of solid particles, liquid droplets and gases, takes a toll of about a fifth of the country\u2019s premature deaths each year, it said in a report.<\/p>\n