Free Dhaka from pollution
THE amount of pollution that we have to deal with during the dry winter season is becoming unbearable. Everywhere on the roads, one can easily see the dust blowing on all directions. And for those who cannot see it, there is more than enough in the air to taste. And as if the amount of pollution on the roads already and of that being released by all sorts of vehicles – private, public, etc – was not enough, you can see one form of construction or another almost everywhere, that is adding to the problem exponentially. Roads that are seemingly being built for ages are continued to be worked on. And while they remain incomplete for years on end, new projects are being undertaken which, few doubts will not take just as long if not longer. And although one may argue that all of this is necessary for the development of the country, there can be no arguments to support the woeful way they are being carried forward, especially when one looks at the amount of inconvenience that it is causing for the ordinary person on a regular basis. But what is worst of all, is that nowhere do I see people working for the city corporation or any other government agency spraying water on the roads.
Thus, there is so much dust all around, blowing endlessly from one end to another. The amount of damage this is doing to the health of an ordinary person is quite worrying. Why is no one in the government concerned about that? Why is the government not giving any directives to take the necessary measures to reduce the amount of dust and other types of pollutions?
Do we want the people of Dhaka city to eventually face the same situation as that being faced in many places in China? Where even the government has been forced to send out warnings to people about the alarming levels of pollution in the air that may cause harm to their health from being breathed in? If the government does take the necessary steps, then that situation is still avoidable. But I wonder for how long that will be the case. Surely the government must act now if it is to avoid having such a situation at hand. Surely, the time is now to reduce the amount of pollution in Dhaka city.
Anwarul Hossain
Gulshan, Dhaka
