Dhaka Air Quality Index (AQI) was 114 yesterday at 9.49 pm. It was 164 on October 21 and 162 on October 20. On October 16, it was 216, which was the highest recently.
As in the past few years, this year too, with the footsteps of winter, air pollution is becoming noticeable. Dhaka's air quality was 'unhealthy' for the first four days of this week.
In this situation, experts fear that the people of Dhaka and its surrounding areas who are going out for work, their breathing has become dangerous. Doctors say that due to unhealthy air, people are suffering from complex diseases like colds, asthma, breathing problems, depression, pneumonia and lung cancer more than before. They say that when winter comes, children and the elderly suffer more from air pollution.
Dhaka often wins the top the list of air pollution in the world. According to the data of IQAir, a Switzerland-based organization, Dhaka was ranked seventh among 121 cities in the world in terms of air pollution till Tuesday.
Among these, the air in Hemayetpur, Arambagh and ICDDRB office area between Dhaka and surrounding areas was relatively worse. This air quality is considered unhealthy. The area of ICDDRB was the worsen, as it was AQI-153.
It is said that the main component of air pollution in Dhaka at that time was the presence of particulate matter or PM 2.5. Its presence in the air of Dhaka is about 12 percent more than the standard of World Health Organization.
In such situations, experts recommend wearing a mask when going outside the house. At the same time, he said to keep the windows of the house closed.
Dr Muhibbur Rahman Rafe said that most people are suffering from respiratory diseases due to air pollution. These include sneezing, coughing and shortness of breath. Because of this, many people are suffering from respiratory problems. Again, many germs are mixed in the dust particles. This results in various infections and pneumonia in children and adults.
He also said that if the air quality is bad, children and the elderly should not go out of the house unless necessary. Masks must be worn by all ages when going outside the house. Eat a balanced diet and get vaccinated against influenza and pneumonia. Moderate rest and some physical exercise should be practiced. It will increase the immunity of the body.
A study titled 'The Terrible Air Pollution in Dhaka City is Getting Worse' published this year on social networking site Research Gate says that the number of vehicles in Dhaka is increasing every year. In this, the smoke generated by old and unfit vehicles on the road is contributing to air pollution. According to data from the Clean Air and Sustainable Environment (CASE) project of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate, 10.4 percent of air pollution in Dhaka comes from particulate matter from vehicles and 7.7 percent of particulate matter from road dust. Diesel vehicles are contributing more to air pollution. In Dhaka, infrastructure construction of various large structures including road construction and residential buildings continues. Among them, the presence of PM 2.5 in the air of Dhaka is increasing due to the construction of Dhaka Metrorail and the remaining construction of Dhaka Elevated Expressway, the construction of the third terminal of Shahjalal International Airport.
During the construction of such infrastructure, the air pollution is increasing as the work is not carried out following the proper rules in the transportation and storage of construction materials. This research also says that 500 tons of dust accumulates on the ground every day in Dhaka and 2 thousand tons of dust floats in the air. Apart from this, the presence of micro particles is increasing due to the uncontrolled movement of vehicles on the broken roads of the city. Textile and dyeing factories around Dhaka are also playing a major role in air pollution. Along with this, diesel powered generators used in Dhaka's homes are also responsible for air pollution.
Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Syeda Rizwana Hasan said recently that the government is taking initiatives to reduce air pollution before the start of the winter season. In this case, all the illegal brick kilns in the country will be closed. No sympathy will be shown to stop them. The government will not give any new brick kiln licenses.
Environment Department Director (Air Management) Md Ziaul Haque said Tuesday that air quality worsens at this time of the year. The government will close the illegal brick kilns first. In this case, more attention will be given to the illegal brick kilns around Dhaka. At the same time no permit will be given to any new brick kiln. Special attention will be paid to illegal brick kilns which will be closed so that they cannot be reopened. Old buses and trucks that do not have a fitness certificate and are at the end of their economic life will be taken off the road. The Environmental Advisor will also work on reducing the pollution caused by road digging. We are developing an air quality management plan, the National Air Quality Management Plan. It is almost final, it will be released soon. Apart from this, efforts are being made to stop the burning of solid waste.
Yesterday Delhi was 254, Lahore 202, Ulaanbataar 157 in AQI.
ZH
