According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people every year. This shows the horrendous degree of threat air pollution carries for the people all over the world. However, “Despite its enormous health, social and economic impacts, pollution prevention is largely overlooked in the international development agenda” (ibid). Bangladesh, a South-Asian country is no different than the world in this regard.
From the journal Nature Environment and Technology, 9 (4), the two most important Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) out of the 17 SDGs of the United Nations are air and environment. The importance of these factors cannot be simply overlooked domestically as well as internationally.
Air pollution is responsible for about 20% of the total premature deaths in Bangladesh, says a World Bank report. Exposure to such extreme air pollution has impacts ranging from stunting and reduced cognitive development in children, to respiratory infections and chronic and debilitating diseases (ibid). The reduction in cognitive development in children will not let students perform well in education which will ultimately hamper their chances of landing a job in the future as well as their health getting affected severely.
According to a report published in an English news daily of Bangladesh, the high court also asked the mayors to ensure that no uncovered truck entered the capital and spray water on the roads twice every day to curb the air pollution. But reality speaks some other languages.
It is of no doubt that the air quality is becoming worse day by day, and both human activities and natural phenomena are responsible for it
The High Court ordered the Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka South City Corporation to spray water twice on construction sites in Dhaka, in 2019. But according to a report published in another newspaper of Bangladesh, the directive is not being followed properly, some areas were watered only once and other areas were not watered even once. Bangladesh Road and Transport Authority gives fitness without checking the condition of the vehicles which is not seen in any developed country -- what else can a crooked BRTA fitness system provide? Construction materials cannot be taken openly which is due to a lack of coordination as well as monitoring from the concerned authorities.
In a journal called Nature Environment and Pollution Technology, 19 (4) it is of no doubt that the air quality is becoming worse day by day, and both human activities and natural phenomena are responsible for it.
In the brick kilns, coal and wood are used to burn the bricks. Approximately 2.2 million tons of coal are burned, yielding tons of PM, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, volatile organic
compounds, and other toxic substances such as furans and dioxin (DOE, 2019a). Now, we know the source for such harmful chemical substances roaming freely in our air. What can be done to stop it? Not necessarily in Bangladesh, the Dublin method of ban on coal sales can be implemented as per discussion in the journal Annals of the American Thoratic Society. In 1990 black smoke reduced up to 70% in Dublin due to the ban on sale of coals. However, natural gas can be used instead of coal, the ministry of environment has to act way smarter as an alternative method to be used in brick kilns.
According to Air pollution Control Rules 2022, Rule-15 it has been mentioned that a person would have to pay Tk200,000 fine or stay in prison for two years if any non-compliance is found against the Rules of 2022. However, this act for non-compliance of Rules-2022 would have to be advertised in newspapers, television channels, and environmental official websites and on social media so that mass people can know and become aware. This is a very momentous issue which needs to be monitored strictly by the Bangladesh government. It will not only fulfill their given agenda to become a developed country by 2040 but also show their sincerity and dedication in effort to fulfill the two important SDGs of the UN.
Muhammed Rubayet is currently working as Business and Education Technology Council Associate Team Leader, Admin & Students Coordinator for Pearson, United Kingdom at Shanto-Mariam Institute of Creative Technology.