Dhaka air quality 5.2 times worse than standard: study
Air pollution in Dhaka increased by 10.2 per cent in December 2020 compared with the same period of the previous year, making the situation 5.2...
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Dhaka air quality 5.2 times worse than standard: study
Staff Correspondent | Published: 18:07, Mar 20,2021 | Updated: 00:16, Mar 21,2021
Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon and Centre for Atmospheric Pollution Studies of Stamford University jointly host a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity on Saturday. — New Age Photo
Air pollution in Dhaka increased by 10.2 per cent in December 2020 compared with the same period of the previous year, making the situation 5.2 times worse than the normal, finds a study.
Green organisation Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon and the Centre for Atmospheric Pollution Studies of Stamford University in a joint press conference unveiled the study report at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity.
CAPS founding director and BAPA joint secretary Professor Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder in his keynote paper said that the study found on average 335.4 micrograms of particles in a cubic metre of area in Dhaka in December 2020 against 304.32 micrograms in December 2019.
The level of particles in air in December 2020 was 5.2 times higher than the standard of 65 micrograms set by the Department of Environment, he said.
He said that based on the land use category, the CAPS collected samples from 70 locations — 10 sensitive areas, 20 residential, 20 mixed, 15 commercial and five industrial.
Stamford University vice-chancellor Professor Mohammad Ali Naqi chaired the event, moderated by BAPA general secretary Sharif Jamil. Former DoE additional director general Quazi Sarwar Imtiaz Hashmi, BAPA joint secretary and architect Iqbal Habib and BAPA air, sound and visual pollution committee joint convener Sirazul Islam Mollah, among others, spoke.
Ali Naqi said that goodwill and sincerity were must to stop any sort of air pollution. Sharif said that it was not perfect to term something as development which harmed human life.
Iqbal Habib demanded enacting the Clean Air Act-2019.
A 17-point charter of demands, which included short, mid and long-term plan of actions, was placed at the press conference.
Green activists asked the government to plant a large number of trees in the city and also demanded watering of city roads to stop dust pollution and monitoring of industries and vehicles to stop emissions.
