The level of air pollution in Bangladesh has increased alarmingly in the last few decades. On November 22, 2023 at 9:14 AM, Dhaka was at the top of the list of 110 cities in the world in terms of air pollution. According to the air quality monitoring organization Air Quality Index (IQAIR), the capital's score at that time was at 245 and the air quality was considered unhealthy and hazardous. India's Delhi is in the second position. This city has a pollution score of 245 which means that the air quality is very unhealthy. India's Kolkata city is in the third position. The city has a pollution score of 216 which means that the air there is also very unhealthy.
Air quality is considered good if the score is between zero and 50. A score of 51 to 100 is considered moderate or tolerable air quality and a score of 101 to 150 is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. A score of 151 to 200 is considered unhealthy, a score of 201 to 300 is considered very unhealthy, and a score greater than 301 is considered unhealthy. Many South Asian countries have become some of the most polluted regions in the world due to increasing air pollution. As a result, a recent report has expressed fear that the life expectancy per person may decrease by more than five years in various countries of the region.
The recently released report warned about the dangerous health effects of increasing air pollution. The University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute (Epic) reported in its latest Air Quality Life Index that the highest levels of pollution were found in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan, each of the country in South Asia.
Earlier in March 2020, the name of Bangladesh appeared in the list of the world's most polluted countries in the air pollution of Switzerland-based research organization IQAir. The organization prepared the list based on the world's air quality in 2020 and its Global Air Quality Report 2020 says that Bangladesh's air quality is the worst in the world, while the capital Dhaka is the second most polluted city in 2020 and Bangladesh is the world's most polluted region in South Asia First, India second and Pakistan third. Besides, 42 of the world's 50 most polluted cities are in this region. Experts say Bangladesh has topped the list of worst polluted countries since 2018 and according to these results the situation has not improved at all in recent years, a very worrying picture.
On the other hand, the US-based Health Effects Institute and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation noted in 2020 that South Asia is the most polluted region in the world in terms of air. The situation in Bangladesh is particularly dire, with 1.73 lakh deaths due to air pollution and the entire population living in areas where air quality is not considered safe at all. The report also noted that air pollution is the second leading health risk factor in Bangladesh after high blood pressure, and we would have seen a maximum expected gain of about 1.3 years in life expectancy if air pollution levels had complied with WHO guidelines.
A major reason for Dhaka's dominance in the list of the world's most polluted cities is the growth of commercial and construction activities in recent years. The two main sources of air pollution in the city are industrial waste and vehicular emissions. There are about 2,295 brick kilns around Dhaka which emit fine particles into the air. Various ongoing projects are mostly responsible for air pollution which has caused traffic congestion in most significant parts of the city.
Moreover, smoking, burning of fossil fuels from air conditioners, open burning in coal-fired power plants, burning of municipal and agricultural waste, emit nitrogen oxides that make urban air quality "unhealthy" which acts as a silent killer and is considered a serious health risk. Exposure to high levels of air pollution can lead to a variety of adverse health outcomes. It increases the risk of respiratory infections, heart disease and lung cancer. Both short-term and long-term properties of air pollutants are associated with health risks. In more severe effects, they make healthy people sick, and children, the elderly, and the poor are more susceptible. Air pollution is a serious health hazard, closely linked to excessive premature mortality, and fine 2.5 PM particles that penetrate deep into the lung passages.
According to the United Nations, nine out of ten people worldwide breathe unclean air, and air pollution causes an estimated seven million premature deaths each year, mainly in low- and middle-income countries. Air pollution contributes to heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and other respiratory diseases, it threatens the economy, food security and environment and air pollution is considered as the world's silent killer. In fact in our country we show serious neglect towards environmental issues. Although the government has taken several steps to improve air quality, the steps seem to be insufficient and unsustainable. As a result of smoking, many types of complex diseases nest in human lungs.
Air pollution is no less harmful to humans than smoking. A recent study found that air pollution has reduced the average life expectancy globally by two years and four months and in Bangladesh by nearly seven years. So it appears that air pollution is a major bar to a healthy, wealthy and normal life. Air pollution is not only an environmental problem; It is a major source of public health woes, a major obstacle to healthy and normal life and at this stage the authorities should consider it as an urgent silent killer and take sustained action.
