A Correspondent :
Air pollution caused by black smoke emission by unfit vehicles and dusts from open space has increased bronchitis, asthma and other respiratory-related diseases among the city dwellers -AA
The dust and sounds of vehicles are polluting the air in port city. The air and sound pollution have aggravated in Chittagong city, causing different diseases to the city dwellers, environmentalists and locals said.
Air pollution caused by black smoke emission by unfit vehicles and dusts from open space has increased bronchitis, asthma and other respiratory-related diseases among the city dwellers, physicians said.
Besides, people of different strata in Chittagong are also facing sound pollution caused by the hydraulic horns, power generators and wielding engineering workshops located in and around residential areas.
They said noise affects children physically and psychologically while normal life is being hampered by round-the-clock operations of the power generators in different posh residence in the city and wielding engineering workshops.
Experts said sound pollutions have reached nearly 200 decibel against its tolerable level of 60 decibel. They said air pollution from thousands of unfit vehicles reached 100 per cent against its maximum tolerable level of hard ridge smoke unit of 65 per cent.
Besides, pollution from dusts has also reached 500 plus microgram though its tolerable level is considered 200 microgram suspended particulates matter. Environmentalists blamed smoked air caused by unfit vehicles, coupled with dusts from open space, for such environmental degradation in the city.
Physicians feared that if such environmental degradation continues, respiratory deceases would increase manifold among city residents. Department of Environment (DoE), Chittagong office sources said the pollution is very high in a few jam-packed places of the city including Bahaddarhat crossing, GEC crossing, Newmarket, Agrabad, Chawkbazar and Andarkillah.
Residents of Bahaddarhat and Chawk-bazar areas alleged that the situation worsens at night as wielding operators start their generators which create noise higher than the tolerable levels of sound. Poet Munirul Munir said, “It is very difficult to do work of writing for noise.”
Writer Akter Hossain said, “We can not come out for dust. In the dry season, the dust used to mix in the air which causes disease.” Sumon Ahamed, a dweller of Chawkbazar area in the port city said, “If my mother calls me loudly from the next room, I do not hear her because of the sound, created by generators of a nearby residential flat and wielding factory.”
“The students particularly the activists of ruling party’s student wing use micro pone or high sound on the nearby roof top for arranging party almost three or four days in a week,” he added.
Prof Shamsuddin Shishir, a teacher of Teachers Training College in Chittagong living at Lalkhan Bazar area said, “I usually study at night but I find it very difficult to continue my study for the noise. It is unfortunate that some young people use high power sound system on their roof top almost every day.”
“It is very hard to sleep, my kids often get up being frightened and start crying to hear the sound of heavy vehicles,” he added.
Continuous sound pollution may totally deafen the children as well as the adults, ENT specialists feared. ENT specialist Abdus Sattar said, “A noisy environment can affect children physically and psychologically.”
According to government guidelines, wielding engineering and lead machines, iron factories and generators must be set up at least one kilometre away from residences and power generators must be set up underground.
It is alleged that factory and wielding engineering owners and developers of the residential flats pay no heed to the complaints regarding the situation.
Over 20,749 unfit light and heavy vehicles have been plying the roads of Chittagong city and its adjacent areas without fitness certificates and emitting black smokes, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, Chittagong office source said.
BRTA sources said they send data about unfit vehicles every six months to the traffic department in the city and district for checking the vehicles and controlling the black smoke.
Masud Alam, assistant director of BRTA, said they issued notice regularly to the defaulting vehicle owners for renovating their respective vehicles, renewing the certificates and paying road taxes. Devdas Bhattachariya, Additional Commissioner (traffic) of CMP said, the unfit vehicles not only pollute air and cause sound pollution but also contribute to traffic jams and road accidents.
He emphasised combined efforts by the traffic department and BRTA to check the vehicles.Officials of DoE, Chittagong, said they continued to work for reducing air and sound pollution and fined nearly 4,000 unfit vehicles over Tk 50 lakh for emitting black smoke since 2007.
Air pollution caused by black smoke emission by unfit vehicles and dusts from open space has increased bronchitis, asthma and other respiratory-related diseases among the city dwellers -AA
The dust and sounds of vehicles are polluting the air in port city. The air and sound pollution have aggravated in Chittagong city, causing different diseases to the city dwellers, environmentalists and locals said.
Air pollution caused by black smoke emission by unfit vehicles and dusts from open space has increased bronchitis, asthma and other respiratory-related diseases among the city dwellers, physicians said.
Besides, people of different strata in Chittagong are also facing sound pollution caused by the hydraulic horns, power generators and wielding engineering workshops located in and around residential areas.
They said noise affects children physically and psychologically while normal life is being hampered by round-the-clock operations of the power generators in different posh residence in the city and wielding engineering workshops.
Experts said sound pollutions have reached nearly 200 decibel against its tolerable level of 60 decibel. They said air pollution from thousands of unfit vehicles reached 100 per cent against its maximum tolerable level of hard ridge smoke unit of 65 per cent.
Besides, pollution from dusts has also reached 500 plus microgram though its tolerable level is considered 200 microgram suspended particulates matter. Environmentalists blamed smoked air caused by unfit vehicles, coupled with dusts from open space, for such environmental degradation in the city.
Physicians feared that if such environmental degradation continues, respiratory deceases would increase manifold among city residents. Department of Environment (DoE), Chittagong office sources said the pollution is very high in a few jam-packed places of the city including Bahaddarhat crossing, GEC crossing, Newmarket, Agrabad, Chawkbazar and Andarkillah.
Residents of Bahaddarhat and Chawk-bazar areas alleged that the situation worsens at night as wielding operators start their generators which create noise higher than the tolerable levels of sound. Poet Munirul Munir said, “It is very difficult to do work of writing for noise.”
Writer Akter Hossain said, “We can not come out for dust. In the dry season, the dust used to mix in the air which causes disease.” Sumon Ahamed, a dweller of Chawkbazar area in the port city said, “If my mother calls me loudly from the next room, I do not hear her because of the sound, created by generators of a nearby residential flat and wielding factory.”
“The students particularly the activists of ruling party’s student wing use micro pone or high sound on the nearby roof top for arranging party almost three or four days in a week,” he added.
Prof Shamsuddin Shishir, a teacher of Teachers Training College in Chittagong living at Lalkhan Bazar area said, “I usually study at night but I find it very difficult to continue my study for the noise. It is unfortunate that some young people use high power sound system on their roof top almost every day.”
“It is very hard to sleep, my kids often get up being frightened and start crying to hear the sound of heavy vehicles,” he added.
Continuous sound pollution may totally deafen the children as well as the adults, ENT specialists feared. ENT specialist Abdus Sattar said, “A noisy environment can affect children physically and psychologically.”
According to government guidelines, wielding engineering and lead machines, iron factories and generators must be set up at least one kilometre away from residences and power generators must be set up underground.
It is alleged that factory and wielding engineering owners and developers of the residential flats pay no heed to the complaints regarding the situation.
Over 20,749 unfit light and heavy vehicles have been plying the roads of Chittagong city and its adjacent areas without fitness certificates and emitting black smokes, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, Chittagong office source said.
BRTA sources said they send data about unfit vehicles every six months to the traffic department in the city and district for checking the vehicles and controlling the black smoke.
Masud Alam, assistant director of BRTA, said they issued notice regularly to the defaulting vehicle owners for renovating their respective vehicles, renewing the certificates and paying road taxes. Devdas Bhattachariya, Additional Commissioner (traffic) of CMP said, the unfit vehicles not only pollute air and cause sound pollution but also contribute to traffic jams and road accidents.
He emphasised combined efforts by the traffic department and BRTA to check the vehicles.Officials of DoE, Chittagong, said they continued to work for reducing air and sound pollution and fined nearly 4,000 unfit vehicles over Tk 50 lakh for emitting black smoke since 2007.
