As things stand, unless the state of our air quality can be improved within a reasonable amount of time, Bangladeshis stand to lose 6.8 years of life on average per person due to the abhorrent quality of our air, according to the newest Air Quality Life Index prepared by the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute.
It is nothing out of the ordinary for our capital Dhaka to consistently find itself in the top three most polluted cities in the world, with air quality that is not only hazardous to sensitive groups – such as those with asthma and other breathing-related illnesses -- but is non-conducive to healthy life in general.
While rapid population growth and industrialization have been cited as the primary causes behind the deterioration of our air, there are steps that we need to start taking immediately to help mitigate the damage being dealt to our air and in turn our health. To that end, it is imperative that known polluters such as brickfields have their operations be regulated in a much more stringent manner.
Brick kilns are a major reason behind Dhaka being among the most polluted cities in the world, as the very process with which bricks are made take a sizable toll on the environment at multiple levels. What’s more is that far too many brickfields often operate illegally and with absolute impunity. A good start would be to shut down institutions that are obviously illegal, but we also need to find a more long-term solution so that we can shy away from traditional methods of brick making.
Our brickfields need to start adopting newer methods such as improved zigzag kilns, Hoffman kilns, hybrid Hoffman kilns, tunnel kilns, and vertical shaft brick kilns -- methods which significantly reduce the environmental impact of brick making.
If we keep adhering to the old ways of industry, sooner or later our nation will become absolutely inhospitable for life. We need to start taking steps to avoid such a future now.