The High Court (HC) has directed the authorities concerned to identify the most polluted areas in the country and submit a plan to reduce this jeopardy.
The HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice SM Moniruzzaman issued the order on Tuesday (February 15) following a writ petition.
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) filed the writ petition, seeking necessary instructions from the higher court to prevent the air pollution.
BELA’s chief executive and lawyer Syeda Rizwana Hasan appeared for the writ petition, while Deputy Attorney General Samarendra Nath Biswas represented the state at the hearing.
The court also ordered the installation of Continuous Air Monitoring Station (CAMS) at appropriate places for constant monitoring of the air quality and to introduce an alert system for protecting the people from hazardous and unhealthy air.
The respondents were asked to submit the report on the implementation of the directives within four months.
Apart from this, the authorities concerned were also directed to develop alternative methods of burning bricks and implement the action plan in this regard.
The HC bench has fixed June 26 for the next hearing over this issue.
Earlier on February 1, another bench of the High Court criticised the authorities concerned for their failure in taking effective measures to control the air pollution in Dhaka and adjacent areas despite its repeated directives.
“Public health is at serious risk due to the air pollution. The situation is not improving although the court has delivered several directives to this effect,” the HC bench of Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir had said during hearing the writ petition.
The HC bench directed the Director General of Department of Environment (DoE) and Deputy Commissioners of five districts -- Dhaka, Manikganj, Munshiganj, Narsingdi and Narayanganj -- to submit separate lists of illegal brick kilns before the court.
Bangladesh, especially the capital city Dhaka, has long been grappling with air pollution. The air quality of the city usually remains unhealthy during winter and it improves during monsoon.
According to a recent study, the air of Gazipur is the most polluted in Bangladesh followed by Dhaka, while the industrial hub of Narayanganj has ranked as the third most polluted district in the country.
The Centre for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS) of Stamford University Bangladesh carried out the study and published their findings in the beginning of this month.
A 2019 report by the Department of Environment (DoE) and the World Bank pointed out that the three main sources of air pollution in Dhaka are: brick kilns, fumes from vehicles and dust from construction sites.
Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing a heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.
