Air quality in Gazipur, Dhaka, and Narayanganj districts is twice as much worst than the country average and nearly five times higher than the standard means, revealed a study on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Madaripur, Patuakhali, and Meherpur have the best air quality in the country respectively due to the abundance of vegetation and water bodies in these districts, the study observed.
The findings of the study titled ‘Atmospheric Survey of 64 Districts across the Country’ conducted by the Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS) under the Stamford University Bangladesh was disseminated at the National Press Club in Dhaka.
CAPS founding Chairman Professor Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder presented findings of the study at the event presided over by Stamford University Vice-Chancellor Professor Mohammad Ali Naqi.
Moderated by CAPS Research Lead Abdullah Al Nayeem, the programme was also addressed by Dhaka University Professor Dr Mohammad Jasim Uddin, former additional director general of Department of Environment Quazi Sarwar Imtiaz Hashmi, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) general secretary Sharif Jamil, among others.
The National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Bangladesh is 65 microgram (µg) per cubic metre for 24-hour on average.
CAPS in its survey found that the presence PM 2.5 in the country in 2021 was 102.41 microgram per cubic metre on average which is 1.57 times higher than the standard level.
The highest rate of air pollution was found in the district of Gazipur where PM2.5 was 263.51 µg followed by Dhaka 252.93 µg, and Narayanganj 222.45 µg.
PM 2.5 refers to a category of a particulate pollutant that is 2.5 microns or smaller in size which is often compared with the average cross-section of a human hair which is 50 microns.
