Mitigating air pollution

---

Saleh Akram | Published: January 11, 2017 19:39:46 | Updated: October 23, 2017 01:36:27

---

Air pollution is a global phenomenon. The two major sources of air pollution in Bangladesh, e.g., vehicular emissions and industrial emissions are mainly concentrated in cities. Moreover, in order to accommodate the growing population, high-rise structures are being constructed and more people are moving in. Along with these buildings, the number of slums is also increasing adding further pollution. 
The social and monetary cost of air pollution is immense. The researchers can calculate in money terms the health effects of air pollution using models and ascertain a social cost of the offending emissions. Firstly, if we consider the health effects of vehicular air pollution, it is a primary cause of respiratory distress in urban Bangladesh. Nearly seven million people suffer from asthma, more than half of whom are children, according to the National Institute of Diseases of Chest and Hospital (NIDCH). Secondly, as a result of health impacts, the productivity of the workers is lowered with a direct bearing on output levels. In money terms, the cost is formidable. Acording to World Bank report, Bangladesh could save between $200 million and $800 million per year which is about 0.7 to 3.0 per cent of its gross national product, if air pollution in the country's four major cities could be reduced. 
 According to the Department of Environment (DOE), the density of airborne particulate matter (PM) reaches 463 micrograms per cubic metre (mcm) in the city during December to March which is the highest level of PM anywhere in the world followed by Mexico City and Mumbai with 383 and 360 mcm respectively. 
Some forms of air pollution are generated primarily by anthropogenic sources, i.e., due to human influence on nature. Others, such as ozone, occur both out of natural and human activities. The cost of air pollution of the developed economies plus India and China is estimated to be US$3.5 trillion per year in lives lost and ill health. 
Air pollution in most cities do not meet the World Health Organization's (WHO) guidelines for acceptable pollutant levels and people living in these cities have aggravated the risks of stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, chronic and acute respiratory diseases (including asthma) and other health complications with time. Indoor air pollution is yet another major cause of poor health and premature death, especially in developing countries. Although air quality measures have shown improvement over the last few years at some locations in the world, millions of people in both developing and developed countries still die prematurely every year because of their long-term exposure to air pollutants. 
Regardless of where the pollutant emanates from, indoor or outdoor, it is responsible for 8.0 million premature deaths every year. Despite substantial improvement in air quality in some advanced nations, it is rapidly deteriorating in major cities in low and middle income countries (LMICs) including Bangladesh. 
Since air pollution adversely affects public health and economic progress, it is essential that effective measures be taken to mitigate the problem. It is not a local or a regional issue, rather it is a global phenomenon that calls for both domestic and international clean air legislations to be adopted and enforced around the globe. 
saleh.akram26@gmail.com
 

More News

• Bracing for deadly fires
• The gap between words and deeds
• Bracing for another difficult summer
• Growing ties between China and Iran: The recent visit of Raisi to China
• Revisiting the Language Movement
• Responsible behaviour of the tourists necessary to save the Sundarbans
• Rivers are in their death throes
• Seasonal fests, a cultural complex
• History of language movement for new generations
• A circus that won't amuse consumers