Clean Air Act to be enacted to control pollution: minister
Air quality of Dhaka city worsened between 2016 and 2019 as construction of various large infrastructure increased within that period, Environment Minister Shahab Uddin told parliament yesterday.
In reply to a query from ruling Awami League MP Manjur Hossain from Faridpur-1, the minister in a scripted answer also said brick kilns, vehicles, construction of different infrastructures and roads digging, civic waste, biomass and trans-boundary influence are responsible behind air pollution of Dhaka city.
The minister said the government has taken various short-, mid- and long-term plans to control air pollution.
"The government has already closed down around 600 brick kilns across the country. All illegal brick kilns will be shut down gradually," Shahab Uddin said.
As part of the short-term plan, the government ensured examination of emission levels of vehicles while providing fitness certificates. The government has also ensured waste management of the city corporations and stop burning of waste, he said.
As part of the mid-term plan, the minister said, the government has taken measures to set up high-speed water sprinklers at different hotspots in the capital to control air pollution through spraying water from high above.
Besides, the government will also set up dust sucker and introduce vacuum sweeping trucks instead of manual brooms to clean roads, he said.
Shahab Uddin said as part of long term plan, the government has also taken various measures including enacting the Clean Air Act-2020 for effectively controlling the air pollution at large.
RATS DAMAGED 1 LAKH TONNES OF CROPS IN 2018
Around 1 lakh metric tons of crops were damaged in 2018 due to attack of rats, Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque told parliament yesterday.
In reply to a query from ruling Awami League MP Habiba Rahman Khan (women's seat-17), the minister in a scripted answer said around 90,385 metric tonnes (MT) of crops was damaged in 2017, 88,844 MT in 2016, 94,388 MT in 2015 and 96,696 MT in 2014 due to rat infestations.
"Each year, 5-7 percent of Aman rice, 4-12 percent of wheat, 5-7 percent of potato and 6-9 percent of pineapple used to be damaged due to attack of rats," the minister said.
He also informed that rats also damaged 5-7 percent crops on field and 3-5 percent corps in storage units each year.
The agriculture minister informed the House about the government's various measures to save crops from the attack of rats through eliminating them.
Meanwhile, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Shahab Uddin yesterday told parliament that the government has created forests in 94,939 hectares and 71,456 square kilometre area in the last 36 years since 1982 through social forestation.
In this period, the government distributed around Tk 356.82 crore among 6.78 lakh people who were engaged in this social forestation, the minister also informed the House.
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