The abject condition of Dhaka’s air has been all but a known quantity for those who live here as the capital frequently battles for the highest position when ranking cities with the worst air quality in the world -- yesterday morning, Dhaka once again claimed the top spot with an air quality index (AQI) score of 323 at 9:30am.
This is becoming a suffocating problem both literally and otherwise.
Just what is keeping the administration from taking this matter seriously? Our city officials frequently promise a developed capital city with promises of transforming it into an aviation hub, among other things, but rarely do they ever broach the subject of improving the state of Dhaka’s livability. The fact of the matter is, Dhaka will never resemble a truly developed city until and unless something is done to tackle the city’s gross levels of pollution, chief among them being air pollution.
Poor air quality has a direct effect on the lifespan of citizens, and yet nothing is done to stop illegal brickfields, perhaps the biggest contributor to our air pollution, from bellowing poison into the air, while unfit vehicles are still allowed to ply our roads and highways while spreading around their emissions.
For too long have these polluting elements posed a threat to healthy living for citizens in the capital. Spewing smoke with particles that shorten the lifespan of anyone unfortunate enough to breathe it in, these establishments have run out of control in terms of numbers in the last few years.
The government and our city corporations need to start prioritizing livability as a core facet of our capital’s overall development plans. High rise buildings and expanded airports are not what make a city truly developed, after all.
Something must be done to curb Dhaka’s air pollution levels and it has to be done fast.