Dhaka has returned to the list of the world’s ten most polluted cities as air quality worsened following a reduction in rainfall. According to the international Air Quality Index (AQI) at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, the city recorded a score of 107, placing it ninth among 127 major polluted cities worldwide. The AQI categorized Dhaka’s air as ‘unhealthy’ for sensitive groups, reversing the temporary improvement seen during the Eid holidays and continuous rain.

The index showed Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the top with a score of 273, followed by Johannesburg in South Africa with 163 and Santiago in Chile with 156. Kolkata in India and Lahore in Pakistan ranked fourth and fifth respectively. The AQI defines scores between 50 and 100 as ‘moderate,’ 101 to 150 as ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups,’ 151 to 200 as ‘unhealthy,’ 201 to 300 as ‘very unhealthy,’ and above 301 as ‘hazardous.’

The report highlights renewed health concerns for Dhaka residents as pollution levels rise again after a brief period of cleaner air.