A World Health Organization (WHO) report mentioned that 13 people are killed every minute across the world due to air pollution, largely in cities.
According to the Air Quality Index (AQI), Dhaka's air was classified as very unhealthy. From 2018 to 2021, Dhaka was generally ranked as the second most polluted city in the world.
In this regard, experts have said that emphasis should be placed on policy implementation through collaboration to curb air pollution. National indicators and action plans are there but the regional standardization of these action plans needs to be coordinated properly.
They said this at the event titled “Save Your Breath: Policy Dialogue on Clean Air Imperatives”, organized by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Shakti Foundation on Monday.
At the event, Labiba Rahman, strategic advisor, Shakti Foundation, said: “Rapid, unplanned urban expansion and the loss of green spaces are denying this basic right to millions of Dhaka's residents. Now, more than ever, is the time to reduce air pollution.”
The presentation titled “Dhaka’s Air Quality Landscape” was presented by Prof Abdus Salam, from the Department of Chemistry, University of Dhaka.
He mentioned in his presentation that the average contribution of hyperlocal (relating to or focusing on matters concerning a small community or geographical area) sources is very small, and the regional component is at most 25%. The main contribution of air pollution is from the urban dome of pollution. Pollution dome defines as a mass of polluted air in and above a city or industrial complex which is prevented from rising by the presence of an inversion above it.
Prof Abdus Salam also mentioned that air pollution impacts human health, climate change, agriculture, global warming, sea level rise, visibility reduction, ecosystem, and atmospheric chemistry.
The report “Breathing Heavy: New Evidence on Air Pollution and Health in Bangladesh” assessed the impacts of outdoor air pollution on physical and mental health in Dhaka and Sylhet.
Saber urges retiring buses older than 20 years to tackle air pollutionTo reduce air pollution impacts on health, the report recommended immediate actions, including improving public health services and response mechanisms, improving air pollution data monitoring systems, investing in early warning systems, and engaging in further research.
In the panel discussion on “Catalysing Clean Air – Research to Actionable Insights” was the moderator Imran Ahmed, deputy executive director of Shakti Foundation and advisor, mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).
The panellist said: “Not only is it a threat to health, but air pollution also has economic ramifications. In its recent Country Environmental Analysis of Bangladesh, the World Bank estimated that household and outdoor air pollution alone cost almost 9% of Bangladesh's GDP in 2019.”
In the discussion, USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Asia Anjali Kaur said prolonged exposure to air pollution has detrimental effects on children's development and learning and accounts for nearly 20% of deaths annually.
She added: “USAID is working in Bangladesh and across the South Asia region to address the root causes of this problem and scale up cleaner, greener, and more affordable sources of energy. Using resources like wind, solar, and hydropower can help reduce carbon emissions by 8% by 2040 and generate new employment possibilities in the renewable energy sector.”
Bapa calls for immediate action to control air pollutionNoting that air pollution is not just a problem for one country, rather it is a regional and international issue, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury said regional cooperation and coordination at the South Asian level, particularly among India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, are necessary to address this problem as pollution in one country affects others.
Nahim Razzaq, MP and convenor of Climate Parliament Bangladesh, emphasized that different departments of the government are also responsible for preventing the pollution that occurs in different ways in Dhaka.
Climate change, as mentioned by moderator Imran, presents a challenge if policymakers are unwilling to establish legal frameworks and regulations. Nahim responded by saying that without such frameworks, effective action is impossible.
He highlighted the regional discourse gaps and lack of coordination at the executive levels, stressing the need for collaborative efforts.
He added that while action plans and policies exist, their implementation is crucial for reducing air pollution.
Discussants at the seminar noted that Bangladesh's Air Quality Index begins to decline every year in October, hitting its lowest point in January and staying poor until April. They emphasized that tackling this complex issue demands multifaceted solutions. However, they also mentioned that the situation can be improved by implementing currently practiced methods.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the chief executive of Bela, Major General (Retd) Siddiqur Rahman Sarkar, chairman of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), Professor Dr Adil Muhammad Khan, president of the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP), and Atiqul Islam, mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), also spoke at the event.
