THIS is gravely concerning that Dhaka continues to be one of the worst cities in the world in terms of air quality, and the authorities remain nonchalant. Even during the ongoing Eid holidays, Dhaka ranked as one of the most polluted cities. On April 15, Dhaka ranked second on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality, with an air quality index score of 193. On April 9鈥�14, when Dhaka streets were mostly empty, the city ranked as one of the most polluted cities too. On all these days, Dhaka鈥檚 air quality index hovered between 150 and 200. Such a level of air pollution is considered very unhealthy and dangerous for residents, especially children and the elderly. An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 鈥榰nhealthy鈥�, while an AQI between 201 and 300 is considered 鈥榲ery unhealthy鈥�. Air quality in Dhaka remains between 101 and 200 around the year, crossing the 300 mark to become 鈥榟azardous鈥� on days only to come down to the 101 mark during the monsoon. What is worrying is that the city authorities have never been able to keep the key air pollutants at the recommended levels and have hardly been sincere about the issue.
About 173,500 deaths in 2020 in Bangladesh were attributed to air pollution, keeping to a State of Global Air report that estimated that air pollution was responsible for the premature deaths of about seven million people across the world that year. A recent World Bank report says that air pollution, unsafe water and poor sanitation and hygiene cause over 272,000 premature deaths and 520 crore days of illness annually. The authorities appear to have largely failed to contain air pollution and comply with the High Court orders issued in the past year and a half to control air pollution. The court directed the government to shut down brick kilns in and around Dhaka, ban black smoke-emitting and unfit vehicles, destroy vehicles that have served their shelf life, and define their valid life spans, among others. The court also directed the city authorities to sprinkle water on roads twice a day, to cover construction and renovation sites, and to ensure that owners of the markets, shops and houses in the capital develop their own waste collection system for the final collection by the city corporations. All the directives have been largely ignored, leaving Dhaka鈥檚 air to deteriorate further. About 3,000 brick kilns operate in and around Dhaka, according to the Department of Environment. The recently completed Tk 802.25 crore clean air and sustainable environment project also appears to have yielded no result.
The government must, therefore, take up programmes that can yield results and must comply with the court directives to lessen the burden of air pollution. Realising that air pollution is a threat to public health, productivity, and the economy, the government must take effective air quality enhancement action plans to contain air pollution.
