Air Pollution in Capital: HC issues 3 new orders to reduce it

Expressing grave concern over the air pollution level in Dhaka, the High Court yesterday issued directives to three authorities concerned to ensure spraying of water on city streets on a regular basis.

Public health will be at risk if the present air pollution level cannot be reduced, the HC said while delivering an order on a writ petition.

In the new directives, the HC asked the director general of Fire Service and Civil Defence to take necessary steps to spray water with its vehicles on roads at the entrances to the capital, including Gabotli, Jatrabari, Purbachal, Keraniganj, and Tongi, on an urgent basis.

The fire service will do the job without compromising their main duty of dousing flames, the HC said.

It ordered the managing director of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) to take measures for supplying sufficient water to Dhaka city corporations for spraying on streets.

The court also asked the Dhaka north and south city corporations to spray water on streets in such a way that small trees planted on the central reservations get wet as well.

The HC bench of Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam and Justice Mohammad Ali came up with order during the hearing of a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) in February 2019 seeking necessary directives on the authorities concerned to stop air pollution in the capital.

The bench also ordered the authorities concerned to submit separate reports to it after complying with the directives in 30 days.

Earlier in the day, the two city corporations submitted two compliance reports to the HC bench saying that they were facing a shortage of vehicles and water from Dhaka Wasa for spraying water on streets.

According to the Air Quality Index, monitored by Department of Environment's (DoE) Clean Air and Sustainable Environment project, the average AQI in Dhaka was 117.4 in October and 194 in November last year.

An AQI value between 0 and 50 is considered satisfactory. Air pollution poses little or no risk at such levels.

A value between 151 and 200 means everyone, especially a member of sensitive groups, is likely to experience health effects.

During the hearing of the same petition on November 24 last year, the HC observed that the air pollution level in Dhaka was very alarming and the people's right to life, one of their fundamental rights, might be compromised if pollution could not be controlled.

On January 13 last year, another HC bench had ordered the government to reduce air pollution in and around the capital and asked the DoE to shut illegal brick kilns in five districts, including Dhaka.

The bench, led by Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan, on that day had asked the authorities concerned to seize those vehicles which were emitting black smoke beyond the permissible limit in Dhaka city.

The court in its directives had said appropriate steps should be taken to stop burning of tyres and recycling of vehicles' batteries without the approval from the DoE.

It asked the authorities concerned to take steps to ensure that all market owners or shopkeepers keep their daily waste in a safe trash bin. The waste must be dumped in the designated areas before the closure of shops or markets.

The HC banned plying of particular vehicles, whose economic life has expired, on roads in the capital.

Lawyer Manzill Murshid appeared for the writ petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General Abdullah Al Mahmud Bashar represented the government.