Dhaka, Nov 25 – The Paribesh Bachao Andalon (POBA), an environment protection organization, has asked for the strict enforcement of the laws to save the Dhaka City from polluting air.They made the remarks in a roundtable on ‘Emergency and Implementable responsibilities for controlling the air pollution of the Dhaka city’ on Saturday in its auditorium.
Speakers said that according to the Department of Environment (DoE), the air quality of Dhaka is now in the red category, meaning dangerous for health. It is possible to control the air pollution and especially unusual growth of dust if authorities including City Corporation, BRTA, Wasa take appropriate steps to implement their responsibilities properly, they asserted.
They were critical of a growing tendency of taking up costly projects without being mindful to arrest the deteriorating air condition in the city. The DoE has to strictly enforce laws to prevent the Dhaka City’s air pollution considering the environment and the people, they empacised.
POBA Chairman Abu Naser Khan chaired the meeting while general secretary Abdus Sobhan presented the keynote paper in the meeting.
Engineer Md. Abdus Sobhan said that the imported coal in Bangladesh is very low quality (the amount of sulfur is more than 5 times the fixed level) and the coal is used for burning bricks. Imported petrol and diesel are of very low quality too.
“Modern equipment is not used in development work. According to the data from the Environment Department on 22 November, the air quality index (AQI) of Dhaka was 269, a point that is considered very unhealthy and harmful for health. If current rate of air pollution continues, then Dhaka and Chittagong Metropolises, and Narayanganj and Gazipur, will have to face severe calamity in the smoke pollution like Delhi,” alerted Sobhan.
He said “According to the Environment Protection Act of 1995 and the Preparation and Restoration of Bricks of 2013 (Control) Act, the main responsibility of controlling the air pollution was entrusted to the Department of Environment. But the Department is not enforcing the laws properly. The Directorate is promoting awareness programs (meetings, seminars, workshops, print and electronic media) only. It is the people’s expectation that the Department will enforce the laws for air pollution.”
Other speakers said that the level of air pollution in the city increases in the winter and they identified thousands of brick fields around Dhaka, black smoke and dust, vehicles and factories, toxic smoke from mill factories and construction work, megaproject work, and throwing household waste in open air as contributing factors. The combination of dust and smoke emitted from these various sources creates smog, they added.
They noted that Suspended Particulate Matter (PM) levels increase in air in the winter, causing to colds, coughs, asthma, allergies, breathing difficulties. Children and old are more susceptive to such air pollution due to their less immunity.
A UNICEF report said in October that eight thousand and five hundred children died due to air pollution related diseases in Bangladesh every year.
Urging the immediate steps to control air pollution, the speakers added that air pollution not only affects the public health rather, these have huge financial and environmental costs too. Therefore, considering the negative effects of public health, environment and the economy, it is very important to take effective steps to immediately eliminate air pollution. It is possible to reduce air pollution by importing and using improved quality fuel (coal, petrol, diesel) and applying existing laws, they suggested.
They recommended that preserving reservoirs, parks, lakes and stopping indiscriminate cutting of trees and planting more trees will contribute to control the air pollution. Alongside authorities should take measure to put all the waste in the proper place, cautious measures during the collection and transport garbage so that the garbage is not spread in the streets.
They recommended for ensuring the execution of existing laws in the control of air pollution and keeping the legal responsibility assigned to all concerned authorities with their sincerity, devotion, honesty and transparency.
They also stressed to make citizen aware about air pollution and its harmful effects, and to carry out proper duties of government and non-governmental organizations, media and conscious people. – UNB
