Tahjeeb Hossain Chowdhury: It is no secret that Dhaka is a city that has been plagued with air pollution for a long time. The quality of air has worsened in the industrialization of the 1980s, 1990s, and of course the 2000s. Bangladesh has been leading the charts when it comes to pollution and that is definitely not something to gloat about and should elicit an opposite reaction.
In recent times the air quality issues have plagued the whole world and Bangladesh is certainly not an exception to that. Bangladesh has been put in the rankings as one of the worst countries to live in, in terms of air quality. Dhaka has been named one of the most inhospitable cities in the world.
Dhaka is the 17th worst city in the world in terms of air quality in the world. Delhi and Dhaka have been trading places with each other as the most polluted cities in the world on a daily basis. What’s alarming is the amount of smog and dust particles in the air in Dhaka. With the top 10 causes of death in Dhaka having 5 respiratory and heart conditions or a source of such, this is technically an alarming situation.
Dhaka has an infrastructure that resembles a board of dominos with buildings and structures piled with little or no space in between. With living spaces and industrial sites being lumped together, the pollutants rapidly mix with the air and eventually in the lungs of citizens.
With brick kilns, factories, construction sites, metal workshops, and transportation fumes so much intricately mixed with our city living quarters, air pollution is bound to be an issue. With the worldwide situation getting so bad, there needs to be precautions and studies in place to mitigate the situation. Citizens in Dhaka have been subject to a varying range of problems pertaining to such harsh air quality.
Underlying conditions such as lung cancer, various forms of heart disease, and strokes are becoming common for the citizens. So proper steps from the government and citizens alike is sorely wanted to tackle this ever-present calamity. Regulations and restrictions, as well as the promotion of good environmental habits, should be the key to tackling these problems.
(The writer is a marketing graduate, content writer, and data science enthusiast from Dhaka, reach him at [email protected])
Photo Courtesy: Dhaka Tribune