The government has taken steps to monitor air quality along roadsides in Dhaka and Chattogram city corporation areas and to assess the extent of air pollution caused by vehicles.
The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) recently approved a project titled “The Project for the Improvement of Equipment for Air Pollution Monitoring,” with an estimated cost of Tk 103.35 crore. Of the total funding, Tk 35.51 crore will be sourced from the Government of Bangladesh (GoB), while Tk 67.84 crore will come as a grant from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The project will focus on Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), and Chattogram City Corporation. Its objectives include identifying sources and the extent of road transport-related air pollution, formulating effective policies and strategies to curb pollution, and addressing related health and socio-economic challenges.
The Department of Environment (DoE) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change will implement the project from March 2025 to June 2028. The JICA grant will be used to enhance the capacity for measuring and analyzing air pollutants, mainly from vehicle emissions, through the establishment of Continuous Air Monitoring Stations (CAMS) in Dhaka and Chattogram.
Following ECNEC's approval, Planning Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud described the initiative as a "nice" project, noting that the government had not previously been able to accurately assess the extent of vehicle-induced air pollution. He added that new monitoring stations under the project would enable better measurement and understanding of pollution levels in the targeted city areas.
A Planning Commission official explained that the Department of Environment currently operates 31 air surveillance stations, including 16 CAMSs. Data from these stations is used to calculate the real-time Air Quality Index (AQI), which is published on the DoE’s website to raise public awareness and protect health.
Although vehicle emissions are known to be a major source of air pollution, the Department of Environment currently lacks roadside-specific monitoring stations. The official noted that this new project, with JICA's support, aims to fill that gap by establishing specialized monitoring systems.
Key project activities will include the installation of 7 roadside Continuous Air Monitoring Stations (CAMSs) and one vehicle-customized CAMS. In total, 24 roadside CAMSs will be installed, with 19 in Dhaka and 5 in Chattogram. Site selection will consider factors such as land availability, site security, and access to electricity and network connectivity.
Earlier, on February 3, a grant agreement and Exchange of Notes were signed between the governments of Bangladesh and Japan to formalize cooperation on the project.
