Air pollution in the capital Dhaka and its adjacent areas like Narayanganj, Gazipur and Savar have reached extremely and consecutively alarming levels recently, environment experts have observed.
Yet no visible steps have to taken at the state level to reduce this air pollution, posing a grave risk to public health, they opined.
They also urged the government to enact a proper and time-befitting legal framework, amend required provisions of different existing laws and adopt the development strategy considering the environmental impact.
Their views and call came at a webinar styled Capital Dhaka's Hazardous Air: Current Urbanisation Perspectives and Way Forward organised by the Institute for Planning and Development (IPD) on Saturday.
Professor Adil Mohammed Khan, executive director of the IPD, presented a keynote paper at the event.
IPD adviser Dr Md Akter Mahmud , IPD director Mohammad Ariful Islam , Md. Jamal Uddin, Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Md Moniruzzaman, an environment researcher at Canada's St. Mary's University, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) joint secretary Maruf Rahman, environmental expert Dr Farhadur Reza and development expert Md. Redwanur Rahman, among others, also spoke on the occasion.
Air pollution continues to rise in the capital and its nearby areas due to uncontrolled dust, vehicular smoke and free movement of unfit vehicles, excessive increase in the number of private vehicles including motorcycles, smoke from brick kilns, unnumbered potholes on roads, construction of infrastructure and mega projects, smoke and waste from industrial units, mismanagement of solid waste and burning of waste, Professor Adil said.
People are witnessing the highest impact of the pollution during the dry season, he added.
Dhaka has once again topped the list of world cities with the worst air quality in the entire last week except Tuesday, a report prepared by the IPD presented at the webinar.
Out of seven days last week (Friday to Thursday), Dhaka was placed the most polluted across the globe, it said, adding that Uzbekistan's Tashkent was at the top in air pollution after removing Dhaka from the list on Tuesday.
Dr Akter said air quality in Narayanganj even exceeded the danger level of that in Dhaka, with an average daily AQI of 400 or more throughout January.
Air pollution in Narayanganj and Gazipur areas including Dhaka has become a serious threat to public health, he said.
"Policymakers must answer why we failed to enact effective clean air laws, and who did not allow them to be enacted", he says. He emphasised introducing an effective urban and project management to prevent the pollution.
An Air Quality Index (AQI) between 101 and 200 is termed as 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups while at the same time an AQI between 201 and 300 is considered to be 'poor'.
AQI from 301 to 400 is regarded as 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
Ariful Islam said such pollution is not only a health disaster, it also hinders economic development and reduces Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
To reduce the pollution in urban areas, he emphasised regular monitoring of air pollution along with landscaping and greening in uncovered areas.
Jamal Uddin said the average life expectancy of the country's people is decreasing by 7.0 per cent to 8.0 per cent every year due to such pollution.
Describing air pollution as more dangerous than deadly diseases like AIDS, he said without political will at the high level of the government, it will not be possible to reduce air pollution.
Moniruzzaman said that the level of the pollution in Dhaka, Rajshahi and Khulna in Bangladesh is also alarming.
All over Bangladesh, only 11 points are measured to identify the air quality in the country, which is insufficient to determine scientific research and action to control air pollution. To this end, he suggested increasing their number.
Maruf Rahman said there is an opportunity to set examples in various government infrastructure construction projects to control air pollution.
Due to the excessive use of air conditioners, greenhouse gas emission is increasing while pollution is rising as well, he added.
Dr Reza said due to the pollution, a 'dust dome layer' is forming on the surface of the sky, which can cause health risks in the long run.
In countries like Japan, electricity is produced from waste through advanced technology and strict monitoring, he opined.
He feared that due to the lack of capacity for this type of initiative in the country, environmental pollution may increase.
To prevent air pollution, Redwanur Rahman said about 30 per cent of Bangkok, Thailand's capital, was afforested.
Such greening and afforestation initiatives should be taken in Dhaka and nearby cities, he added.
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