Staff Reporter :
A recent study shows that unfit vehicles are 15 percent responsible for air pollution in the capital city. It says also that unplanned and uncontrolled road digging and construction work adds 30pc to the air pollution in Dhaka.
Centre for Atmospheric Pollution Study (CAPS) conducted the research work.
Harmful substances like chromium, mercury, lead, copper, nickel and silver are regularly found in the air and if these are inhaled in high amounts, these metals can make people serious ill like heart diseases, the study suggested.
The study findings shows that brick kilns and factories contribute 29pc air pollution, vehicle exhaust fumes 15pc, trans-boundary air pollution 10pc, household and cooking stove nine pc, and waste burning seven pc in the capital.
Experts said that smoke from unfit vehicles have been l increasing air pollution for the last two years. They said there was no crackdown against the black smoke emissions from unfit vehicles since 2003.
“Unfit vehicles are increasing emission of black smoke
that is polluting the air hazardously,” said Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, Chairman, Department of Environmental Science of Stamford University.
Dr Kamruzzaman said, “It is more dangerous that not only are unfit vehicles are behind emission of black smoke, even a large number of fitness certificate bearer vehicles also are generating black smoke.”
Chemical substances emitted by vehicles burning liquefied petroleum while stuck in traffic, is also harmful to the healthy environment and health, the expert said.
According to the latest government data, there are 1.6 million registered vehicles in the capital. About 500,000 of those vehicles are running with expired fitness, meanwhile, the number is increasing by 20pc to 30pc annually. Sources said, in case of checking the fitness of vehicles, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority uses manual methods in 90pc of the time.
The BRTA usually takes one to five minutes for every vehicle testing. Besides, the Vehicle Inspection Center (VIC) has not adequate capacity to test the black smoke of the vehicles in digital system.
BRTA officials said preferring anonymity that there are only two machines eligible to use testing black smoke. “Diesel-powered vehicles usually emit black smoke,” BRTA Assistant Director (Fitness selection) Morshedul Alam said to journalists.
He says that the problem occurs when the engine is not properly maintained.The expert said that only 32 vehicles can be tested every day as it takes about 15 minutes to check each of that fitness.
During a visit to the BRTA offices earlier this week, it was found that the authorities inspected only one vehicle for fitness between 11am and 2pm. Another car was in the queue but the server crashed.
Meanwhile, Md Ziaul Haque, Director for Dhaka region of the Department of Environment said, they regularly conduct mobile court operations to check vehicles emitting black smoke. “We need a big project to reduce emissions from vehicles and other sources,” the director said.
