Al Mamun Harun Ur Rashid :
The silent killer black smoke emitting from the unfit vehicles in Dhaka and elsewhere is causing massive air pollution and posing serious threat to the health of the city dwellers every day.
Apathy of the concerned departments, lack of regular drive and strict enforcement of laws, absence of digital systems to check vehicles and shortage of manpower are the major reasons responsible for the billowing of the black smoke from the unfit vehicles.
Green activists said, when the laws are not strictly enforced, the owners of the unfit vehicles hardly care about people’s health and environment and they bring their unfit vehicles on the streets to make money.
They said, if the government is serious about the prevention of the pollution of black smoke, it is not difficult to curb it but such actions are hardly seen.
Expressing helplessness, traffic sergeants said that most of the time they cannot take legal action against the unfit vehicles emitting black smoke in the streets because they don’t have modern equipments to prove the violation of the law.
Despite various national and international reports on black smoke in different times to make the concerned authorities aware of what steps should be taken, the regular drives against such pollution is hardly seen.
The city’s vehicles are not the only transports to emit for the air pollution but other vehicles especially trucks and big buses which move at night are also the major contributors of black smoke both by day and at night.
According to a recent study conducted by the Centre for Atmospheric Pollution Study, unfit vehicles are responsible for 15 of the air pollution in Dhaka, which is alarming.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.
The Bangladesh Road Transport Association (BRTA) is responsible for conducting fitness test and the Department of Environment monitors the emission of black smoke.
There are over five lakh vehicles with expired fitness and this number is increasing by 25-30 percent each year, BRTA said. At present the total number of registered vehicles in Dhaka is over 1.6 million.
Sources said, it is a punishable offence, according to the Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1983, to emit any smoke hazardous to the human health and environment.
The traffic police have the authority to take actions against the unfit vehicles and to fine for the emission of black smoke responsible for air pollution.
But Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) does not have any facility to measure the pollution by black smoke either.
“Black smoke from the unfit vehicles is really a threat for all. We have rules and regulations but most of the time we overlook such matter because we don’t have digital devices to check and to prove it for filing a case,” Traffic Sergeant Abdullah Bin Hossain told the New Nation on Friday.
He said that the pollution by the black smoke is increasing day by day.
“We can fine the vehicle for it, but it will ultimately not bring a lasting solution because drivers and owners have become habituated to cases. The concerned department including BRTA has to be strict in issuing fitness licence,” he added.
“Once upon a time, the two-stroke vehicles were banned for emitting excessive black smoke. Now so many unfit vehicles are plying on in the streets. How do these vehicles get permission?” he posed a question.
The owners of the vehicles have their responsibilities and should think of the national health instead of making bucks, he added.
“We are witnessing economic development in the country by industrialisation and urbanisation. But such development is going on at the cost of environmental pollution. It’s becoming alarming,” Executive Vice-President of the Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon MA Matin told the New Nation.
“Industries, brick kilns and vehicles are major contributor to carbon emission, which is a silent killer. The government has to be sincere if they really want to curb pollution. Otherwise, nothing is possible but still we don’t see significant initiatives here,” he observed.
As per “State of Global Air-2020” report, Air pollution impacts on life expectancy especially in less-developed countries.
The report said, the life expectancy loss in Bangladesh is 2.91 years due to air pollution while the average life expectancy as per Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics is 72.8 years.
