Air pollution in the city is worsening day by day due to the absence of monitoring and necessary steps need to be taken to control it, said environment experts.
They said it is possible to control the air pollution, especially the unusual growth of dust, if the authorities concerned, including the city corporations, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and Dhaka Wasa, carry out their duties properly.
While talking to UNB, Bapa general secretary MA Matin said dust pollution can be controlled to some extent if the Department of Environment enforces the relevant laws during the construction of buildings and roads.
He also suggested using modern techniques for cleaning city roads, spraying water to stop dust from spreading during construction works and keeping construction materials and sites under cover.
Ainun Nishat, Professor Emeritus at BRAC University, told UNB that Bangladesh ranks second among global cities when it comes to pollution.
He cited an example how Beijing reduced its devastating air pollution when commuters had to keep their car headlights on even during daytime. “If they can, we can also control it.”
Ainun Nishat also pointed out that the City Corporation cleaners who remove dirt and dust from roads they in fact deposit those from one place to another. “It doesn’t actually help as the dirt remains. Elsewhere in the world, cleaners use water every day to remove dust from roads. If you look at rooms in city homes or offices, you’ll see a layer of dust, which is later transmitted into human body, causing diseases,” he added.
According to sources at the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, a survey was conducted back in 2013 to pinpoint the main causes and symptoms of pollution.
Carried out by Norway’s Institute of Air Research, it was found that 58 percent of Dhaka’s pollution is caused by the nearby brick kilns, 18-19 percent from vehicles, 10 percent from road/soil dust and 8-9 percent from building constructions.
It was also found that the root causes for pollution were different for each of the cities. In the case of Dhaka, for example, it is brick kilns, for Chittagong it is industrial smoke emissions, and for Narayanganj and Gazipur it is factory emissions.
