Alarming deterioration of air quality
Regrettably, bad air quality is one index where Dhaka is consistently topping the chart. Therefore, the recent revelation that in the last 13 months Dhaka saw only nine "Good"—clean air—days, comes as no surprise. People living in Dhaka—the world's second least liveable city, according to Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU)—in the last 13 months, experienced unhealthy air on 107 days, very unhealthy air on 82 days and hazardous air on five days. And the city's pollution has increased by about 20 percent in 2019.
Rampant operation of illegal brick kilns in the suburban areas around the city, along with the staggering number of unfit vehicles plying the city streets, are major contributors to the capital's rapidly deteriorating air quality. Add to them the construction work of various large infrastructure projects such as the metro rail and elevated expressway projects, which are making matters worse for city dwellers. The air pollution situation is so severe that even trees are getting affected by them. According to a report by a local daily, trees lining the main city streets are the most affected by the gases emitted by vehicles, with their rate of survival dropping by 30 percent. And thousands of human lives are lost due to health conditions caused by air pollution every year—figures from the US-based Health Effects Institute (HEI) suggest that 1,22,400 people die every year in Bangladesh due to the aerial killer.
In view of the current situation, the concerned authorities should take immediate steps to clean Dhaka's air. All the factors contributing to Dhaka's worsening air pollution, including use of unfit vehicles that emit noxious fumes, mismanagement of waste, unplanned public works, among others, must be addressed, and the authorities involved with the construction of the large infrastructure projects should take measures to reduce their pollution footprint. It is high time we rolled up our sleeves and got down to work to eliminate this menace.
Comments