In a city as densely populated and rapidly urbanizing as Dhaka, poor air quality can transform into a public health emergency -- when millions share the same compact spaces, breathe the same air, and commute through the same congested roads, the stakes for cleaner air become exponentially higher.
Once again, this past Sunday, Dhaka recorded an AQI of 147, placing the city among the top ten most polluted in the world that morning. For citizens, especially vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and those with respiratory conditions, this is nothing if not dangerous.
While Dhaka’s air pollution tends to worsen in the dryer months of winter and ease during the monsoon, seasonal relief has never been a long-term solution. Sustainable mitigation requires targeted action, and in that context two of the most pressing and persistent contributors to the capital’s declining air quality are the widespread operation of outdated brick kilns and emissions from ageing public transport vehicles.
Brick kilns, many of which operate illegally or without updated filtration systems, bellow high volumes of particulate matter into the air. Likewise, thousands of unfit buses and trucks -- many decades old and running on low-quality fuels -- choke our streets with black smoke and toxic exhaust. These pain points are neither new nor unsolvable. And yet progress remains slow to a trickle.
If the interim government is serious about protecting public health, these sectors must be urgently prioritized. The administration and relevant authorities must clamp down on illegal kilns, enforce clean technology standards, and accelerate the phasing out of polluting vehicles with incentives for greener alternatives.
We all deserve clean air to breathe.