The New Nation - Internet Edition

DHAKA city is turning again into a poisonous gas chamber causing serious threat to public health. According to a media report, pollution of air in the city with toxic particles has exceeded permissible limits in some areas. The concentration of harmful particles in the air has reached the highest range all over at present. As a consequence of this pollution, attack of diseases like cough, asthma, bronchitis and other ailments of the respiratory system has increased in the city. According to the Air Quality Management Project of the government, brick kilns, plastic factories, open air burning of rubber, plastic and polythene materials and outdated automobiles are contributing to the increase of toxic matters in the city's air. Faulty vehicles running on diesel are responsible for emitting 60 percent of the pollutants. Those vehicles discharge poisonous carbon gases, lead, nitrogen compounds and suspended particles in the air. About 4,000 brick kilns around the city, using coal with more than 4 percent sulphur, discharge toxic gases.

Some years ago, Dhaka city had been the most polluted city in the world surpassing Lima, the capital of Peru. Three-wheelers with two stroke engines were mainly responsible for the excessive pollution. Those engines along with other outworn automobiles emitted huge quantities of carbon dioxide and other poisonous gases. During most of the time of the day, the sky of the city used to remain overcast with thin black suffocating smoke causing adverse impact on human health. The number of patients with chest and respiratory diseases went on increasing alarmingly. Children and elderly people were the worst affected. To keep the pollution within tolerable limits, the government banned the three-wheelers and outdated motor vehicles from the city. Four-stroke three-wheelers were introduced in place of those. Measures were taken to increase the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) to reduce the use of fossil fuel. Brick kilns in and around the city which used to burn wood and low-grade coal with high percentage of sulphur were supplied with gas. Orders were given to increase the height of kiln chimneys. As a result of these measures, the situation improved to some extent. But it has worsened again.

It has thus become urgent to bring down the pollution level. The faulty automobiles must be identified and banned. Violators of environmental regulations among the brickfield operators must be given severe punishment. Inconsistent and irregular monitoring of the pollution situation in the city is also responsible for worsening of air pollution. Those responsible for this should not go unpunished.