THE presence of pollutant particles in Dhaka’s air has become quite high with alarm signals to public health. It was even higher than Delhi and Beijing on last Wednesday, as per a report in a national daily. We know Delhi had closed schools and put other emergency measures only last week as smog heavily hit the city forcing the city administration to ask people to stay indoor to avoid respiratory troubles and accident from poor visibility in city streets. Beijing and many other Chinese cities very often take such precautionary measures to protect city dwellers.
The State of Global Air Report 2017 said, Dhaka has ranked second on a global list of cities with worst air pollution, which claims 122,400 lives in Bangladesh a year. Air pollution is the leading environmental cause of death worldwide when 92 percent of the world’s population lives in areas with unhealthy air. India and Bangladesh experienced the steepest increase in air pollution levels between 1990 and 2015.
We must say the new development is taking place as carbon emission in the air is fast rising from industrial pollution. Nations across the world are taking the issue seriously in the recent past committing to keep the carbon in the air under tight control. But the damage that has already been done to the environment is irreparable and industrialized and developing nations are facing serious consequences from it. Moreover, their slow move to switch to clean energy is further aggravating the situation.
Dhaka was not however hit by heavy fog on Wednesday but presence of injurious pollutant particles were so high in the air that it deteriorated air quality very much to harm public health. Needless to say Dhaka is heavily suffering from pollution of brick kiln, digging city roads, renovation of city pavements and repair in city streets. Dust is spreading in the air to add to industrial pollution now heavily growing from city suburbs.
The Directorate of Environment (DoE) found air quality at dangerously low level at least at three city points. Usually air quality falls drastically during the dry season and the time is quite critical for public health. It no doubt requires close attention of the city corporation authorities to keep the city clean while the Health Authorities and the DoE in particular must have binding rules to keep the air less polluted.
Air pollution contributed to 4.2 million premature deaths and to a loss of 103 million healthy years of life in 2015 according to the report. It said pollution is the fifth biggest cause of death. Bangladesh and India now have the highest exposures to air pollution related diseases. It is causing slow death to people unnoticed but it is time to take note of the danger and take measures accordingly.
