It is unfortunate that, at this stage, poor air quality and Dhaka have become synonymous; on Sunday morning, it once again ranked as the city with the worst air quality in the world, with the Air Quality Index registering a score of 308, which is classified as “hazardous” and people are advised to avoid all outdoor activities at this level.
Unfortunately, this hazardous air has become the norm for Dhaka dwellers during the winter season, with people expected to continue living their everyday lives and battling through.
It is truly disheartening to see that, despite the undeniable progress of our nation, we continue to lack some fundamental elements that improve a citizen's quality of life, and clean, breathable air is surely near the very top of items a citizen can expect.
Instead, citizens of Dhaka must be content with poisonous air, day in and day out, which slowly but very surely saps us of years of our lives; as has been mentioned previous, as per a global study, people living in Dhaka lose over eight years of their expected lifespan as a result of air pollution. The list of diseases that are linked to poor quality is substantial and it also aggravates several serious health conditions.
It has been the unchecked nature of our urbanization, together with brick kilns that operate with impunity that have been the biggest culprits, and with little progress, the situation has only gotten worse. It is a shame that these issues continue to fall on deaf ears year after year, but it might not yet be too late to start fixing this mess.
If Bangladesh is serious about being an economy that will be taken seriously, it must first ensure clean, breathable air for the citizens of its capital city. All the prosperity in the world matters little if our very existence is threatened by the very air we breathe in.
