Check city air pollution: Bapa

The government must make it a priority to take immediate measures to control air pollution to save Dhaka residents from serious health risks, said speakers at a human chain yesterday.
The human chain was organised by Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa) before Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University.
Addressing the programme, Bapa General Secretary Mohammad Abdul Matin said 70 percent of citizen's were suffering from different diseases related to environmental pollution, the main cause behind most deaths.
Bapa Executive Member Abul Maksud Ahmed said a committee comprising authorities concerned, experts and representatives of different social organisations must be formed to find the reasons behind air pollution and take remedial measures.
A total 30 percent of air pollution results from smoke emitted from some 10,000 brick kilns in the country, most of which are situated around Dhaka. Another source of pollution is carbon dioxide emitted from the exhaust of motor vehicles stuck in traffic congestion, said the speakers.
They demanded the government to shut brick fields running on old technologies and introduction of modern ones, a stop to import of substandard coal and removal of buses, minibuses and trucks aged 20 years or above.
Former Bapa general secretary Mohidul Haque, joint secretaries Mihir Biswas, Sharif Jamil and Alamgir Kabir and Tushar Rehman of Citizen Rights Movement also addressed the programme.