Bangladesh's air pollution situation shameful, admits Obaidul Quader
Mentioning that the situation is man-made, the minister urged the two mayors of the city to take prompt actions to address air pollution
Road Transportation and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Tuesday admitted that country's air pollution situation, particularly in Dhaka, is shameful.
"Bangladesh is now a wonder of the world in terms of development, but the matter of shame is that the country's capital is suffering from worse and dangerous air pollution," he said attending the roadshow on safe roads of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority at the Matsay Bhaban intersection of the capital.
Mentioning that Dhaka's air quality is poorer than that of other cities across the globe and the situation is man-made, he, also the general secretary of the ruling Awami League, urged the two mayors of the city to take prompt actions to address air pollution.
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"Due to development activities, roads become full of dust and need watering on a regular basis. The city corporations are responsible to do that. They perform their duties in some areas. I will urge the two energetic mayors to ensure watering roads everywhere so that we can prevent air pollution."
Pointing out that the environment ministry also has responsibility in preventing pollution, Obaidul Quader said measures should be taken regarding the brick kilns on the outskirts of the city.
Burning clay to make bricks is polluting our environment. The environment ministry should not complete its responsibility by just issuing certificates. Rather, it should do teamwork to prevent air pollution, he added.
"Take a stand against pollution today," he urged all. Referring to Singapore, the minister said, "We should learn from the small country how it keeps its environment neat and clean."
He also called for order on roads.
