Bangladesh Poribesh Andolan (Bapa) has urged the Department of Environment (DoE) to implement effective measures immediately to curb air pollution in Dhaka city.
Leaders of the environmentalist organization made the call during a sit-in program in front of the Department of Environment on Wednesday.
The sit-in program was chaired by Bapa President Professor Nur Mohammad Talukdar and General Secretary Alamgir Kabir.
Professor Talukder highlighted Bangladesh's alarming rank as one of the world's worst in air pollution, stressing the urgent need for collective action to safeguard future generations.
Bapa Vice President Mahidul Haque Khan emphasized government accountability in addressing air pollution and questioned the exclusion of journalists from the proceedings.
The environmentalist organization’s General Secretary Alamgir Kabir Alamgir Kabir criticized the Department of Environment and the ministry for their failure to mitigate air pollution, labelling the department as dysfunctional.
He advocated for the use of vacuum cleaners to mitigate pollution caused by road construction activities in Dhaka and urged the government to develop strategies for managing electronic waste effectively.
Bapa Joint Secretary Professor Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder referenced a global report on air pollution, highlighting its detrimental impact on life expectancy, particularly in Bangladesh.
He underscored the necessity for effective environmental governance.
Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS) Bangladesh Chairman Mohammad Ejaz lamented the Department of Environment's apparent inaction over the past year, accusing them of prioritizing new projects over environmental concerns and neglecting efforts to improve the environment.
Earlier, Bapa informed the Directorate of Environment about their intention to submit a memorandum at 11am on Wednesday, demanding urgent action to control air pollution, according to a press release.
However, the department expressed hesitance to accept the memorandum without prior authorization.
Initially, Bapa leaders were denied entry, and only a limited number of individuals were allowed to proceed, excluding journalists.
When a delegation led by Bapa President Professor Nur Mohammad Talukdar approached the additional director general to submit the memorandum, they were informed that he was occupied with a phone call. Despite eventually gaining entry, the Bapa leaders faced hostility from the additional director general before their memorandum was reluctantly accepted.