Overcrowded Dhaka City is already considered the world’s most polluted city. Yet its air is being polluted further unabatedly. Most of the city dwellers may not be fully aware that they and their innocent children are being slow-poisoned by air pollution. The combined effect of narrow roads, traffic congestion, quality of motor fuel, poor traffic management, old vehicles, overloaded vehicles, faulty engines, carrying of earth, sand, garbage, coal, cement, etc. in open trucks through the city streets, industrial plants, brickfields, the open burning of rubbish, home cooking with wood or kerosene, spraying of aerosol, burning of mosquito coils, use of pesticides for insect control, non-collection of solid waste, non-management of solid waste disposal sites rotting in the open air, road digging, dumping of construction materials in the open air, open sewerage, open drainage, urinating and defecating in open spaces is polluting the air continuously and aggravating the situation.

In the air of Dhaka City, the principal pollutants are: carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, lead compounds, unburned carbon particles, odour, smoke, volatile organic compounds which usually cause cancer (i.e. Benzene, Toluene, Octane, Ethyl-benzene, Isocyanides, Methoxybenzene, P-xylene, Propylbenzene, Trimethylbenzene and Butyl-benzene), particle matters like dust and soot and acidity of moisture.

All these dangerous pollutants are causing diseases and damaging body organs of our children and reducing the adult lifespan. According to some estimates, 20,000 citizens are facing premature death every year due to high pollution. The economic value of health cost is estimated to be between 1,000 and 1,500 crore per year. Diseases caused by air pollution are: cancer, congestion of lungs with layers of microscopic noxious soot, eye-infection, skin irritation, diseases of the respiratory tract, headache, bronchitis, sinus related problems, fatigue, high blood pressure, hypertension, heart disease, asthma, stomach related problems, etc.

The poor, the lower-middle class and our innocent children are particularly affected by pollution. They are more exposed, because they work, walk and travel the streets for longer hours. Their poor nutrition makes them less resistant to diseases, and they have limited access to health care. Many experts have warned repeatedly that if this trend continues unabated, most residents of Dhaka city will suffer from various ailments and dangerous health complications. More importantly, the mental health and psychological development of our children will be impaired. 

The mayor must take an initiative to reduce noise, air, water and industrial pollution levels and bring them within the limits set by the World Health Organization. For that purpose:

• At least four measuring stations should be set up within the city to measure pollution levels every day.
• Public advice should be transmitted through radio, TV and the print media so that citizens are aware of the dangers of pollution in different parts of the city and can take adequate protective measures to reduce injury to health.
• City dwellers should be made fully aware of the pollution and pollutants on a daily basis.
• A Dhaka Pollution Control Board should be established. The Board is to undertake an inventory and forecast key sources of pollutants, set emission reduction goals and plan for, monitor and quantify actions to reduce these pollutants.
• Existing environmental protection laws should be fully enforced, and new laws should be enacted to reduce pollution in the city.
• Traffic management must be improved to reduce congestion and thereby reduce transport and fuel related pollution.
• Steps should also be taken to reduce transport and fuel related pollution due to overload, fuels, faulty engines, old vehicles, etc.
• Policy and plans should be designed and implemented to convert vehicles into CNG.
• The number of buses should be increased on the city streets so that people can move easily.
• Laws related to old vehicles, faulty engines, fitness certificates, fuel quality and overloading must be strictly enforced.
• Solid waste should be cleared daily.
• Garbage disposal depots should be managed properly.
• “A policy manual of waste management system” should be made and implemented. Such a system should include:
  • A new dumping site away from the city.
  • Modern recycling processes developed and encouraged to be implemented in cooperation with the private sector.
  • A modern retrieval plant should be established so that part of the waste can be recycled for productive and economic use, such as producing “organic manure” and “compost.”
• The solid waste management should be made in accordance with the best principles of public health, economics, engineering, advanced technology, conservation, aesthetic relief and other environmental considerations.
• Transportation for waste disposal should be privatised.
• All road digging should be done in a coordinated manner. Sites should be managed properly so the spread of dust and dirt is reduced.
• Laws should be strictly enforced so that construction and development sites are managed properly to reduce the spread of dust and dirt.
• More public toilets should be constructed to reduce urination and defecation in open spaces.
• All sewers should be covered so that dirt, filth, odour and bad smell in their track can be controlled.
• All drains should be kept in a free-flowing state at all times.
• All brickfields in and around the city should be converted to gas firing.
• Laws should be strictly enforced against industrial polluters.
• All stagnated ponds, tanks, etc. should be cleaned up and kept clean throughout the year.
• More parks should be established
• Road side tree plantation programs and social forestry should be strengthened
• City streets should be watered during dry days to reduce the spread of dust and dirt particles.

Noise pollution in some places of the city is the highest in the world. As per standards of the WHO, the maximum noise level should be between 60 and 65 decibels. In Dhaka City, the average noise level is 75 to 106 decibels, due particularly to the taking off and landing of aircrafts over the city, excessive usage of horns by all types of vehicles, motor vehicles with old engines making noisy emissions, excessive use of loud speakers, etc. Rules and regulations should be promulgated to reduce all types of unnecessary sound and such regulations should be strictly enforced.

The causes of water pollution in the water supply system should be properly investigated. Its effect on humans as well as on flora and fauna may not be just injurious but simply disastrous. A comprehensive plan of action should be made and implemented.