Residents of the capital have inhaled clean air for only 38 days in the last six years. The alarming figures came up in a study conducted by Stamford University’s Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies from 2016 to 2021. For the last six years, the average AQI (Air Quality Index) score in Dhaka was 219, which falls in the category of extremely unhealthy. Dust generated from development work contributes 30 per cent to air pollution, while about 29 per cent is due to industries and brick kilns. Ambient air pollution accounts for an estimated 4.2 million deaths globally per year. They die from stroke, heart disease, lung cancer as well as acute and chronic respiratory diseases.
The report also stated that nights in Dhaka provide little relief from the pollution as trucks carrying construction materials and inter-district buses entering the city at night, city corporation workers sweeping the roads during that time, and the dip in temperature that allows dust to hang in the air for a longer time. From 2020-21, air pollution has increased by 9.8 per cent due to economic activities getting back on track after Covid-19 restrictions were relaxed. Researchers said Dhaka’s air starts deteriorating from 4:00pm, and pollution peaks around 2:00am. Dhaka’s AQI was above 300 on 37 days of the last six years, which is seriously hazardous for people.
Under Environment Conservation Act-1995, when air quality deteriorates to such a level, the department of the environment [DoE] must issue a warning to residents about this health hazard. Companies that are executing the country’s mega projects do not comply with environmental guidelines, disregarding people’s health. The High Court on November 24 last year issued nine instructions to DoE, two city corporations and BRTA to make sure that waste-carrying vehicles, construction materials and construction sites are covered with tarpaulin, and that water is sprinkled on streets. Air pollution kills 10,000 people in Dhaka alone every year, while 1,53,000 people die across the country. The government and the city corporations should put an environmental lens for all development works, as air pollution is the existential crisis for humankind.
