HC’s practical directives to address terrible air quality
Poor air quality has been a perennial problem for Dhaka, with unabated pollution from many quarters. While there was significant improvement during the various lockdowns last year when there was no traffic and other polluters had suspended their activities, everything has gone back to square one with the reopening of the economy. The dry season that winter brings has multiplied the problem, causing serious health problems, especially for vulnerable groups. Respiratory and other diseases are largely attributed to this deterioration in air quality. In this bleak scenario, we welcome the High Court's stern directives to three authorities to ensure spraying of water on city streets on a regular basis.
Specifically, the HC has given its directives to the Fire Service and Civil Defence to use its vehicles to spray water, especially in busy entrances to the capital; to Wasa to ensure sufficient water supply to Dhaka city corporations for spraying the streets, and to Dhaka north and south city corporations to spray water on the streets along with the small trees so that they can survive.
What's more, the HC has ordered the authorities concerned to submit separate reports regarding compliance with these directives in 30 days. According to the Air Quality Index, the average AQI in Dhaka was 117.4 in October and 194 in November last year, while an AQI value up to 50 is considered acceptable. This shows just how bad the air we breathe has become.
We cannot help but ask why it is that the High Court must intervene and give directives for something that should have been a matter of grave concern for the authorities. Spraying on streets to reduce the dust generated, especially during the dry season, should have been started a long time ago as a part of routine maintenance. It seems keeping the air quality at a breathable level is no one's problem and hence the High Court must step in to give directions to the specific authorities concerned.
And it is not just about spraying water on the streets that the HC has intervened. Last year in January, another HC bench had ordered the government to reduce air pollution in and around the capital, and asked the Department of Environment to shut illegal brick kilns in five districts, including Dhaka. It had also asked the authorities to seize those vehicles emitting black smoke beyond the permissible limit in Dhaka city. It has banned unfit vehicles from plying the roads. Have these directives been followed through? Unfortunately, as reports have shown, there are still many unfit vehicles on the road emitting toxic fumes and brick kilns in areas where there is a high density of people.
We sincerely hope that all the directives of the HC that are geared towards protecting people's fundamental right to life, which has been severely compromised by the high levels of air pollution, will be taken seriously and complied with. It is the government's responsibility to ensure that all the authorities concerned follow through with these measures.
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