HC orders action to curb air pollution in Dhaka in 7 days

The High Court has directed the authorities concerned to take effective steps to mitigate air pollution in Dhaka and implement nine previous directives within seven days.

The bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Debashish Roy Chowdhury passed the order on Sunday and asked the authorities to submit report to the court by 26 January.     

Senior Advocate Manzil Morshed, representing the petitioner, appeared before the court alongside Advocates Sanjay Mondal and Salim Reza, while Deputy Attorney General Tanim Khan represented the state. 

The petition was originally filed in 2019 by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) seeking urgent action to combat air pollution in the capital.

Following the petition, the court issued a rule and asked the authorities to form an expert committee and take preventive measures. 

Despite some progress in reducing air pollution by mid-2023, Dhaka recently topped global rankings for poor air quality again due to lax enforcement of court instructions, said Advocate Manzil Morshed. 

The court reiterated its nine-point directives for immediate implementation: 

Those are covering soil, sand and waste transported by trucks or other vehicles, ensuring construction materials such as soil, sand and cement are covered, sprinkling water on roads regularly by city corporations and ensuring compliance with tender conditions for road and construction works. 

Seizing vehicles emitting black smoke, halting the movement of vehicles past their permissible lifespan under the Road Transport Act, closing illegal brick kilns and shutting down unlicensed tire factories and ensuring proper disposal of market and shop waste by the city corporation were among those. 

Advocate Morshed said although the court's directives had been partially implemented consistent failures have allowed air pollution to reach alarming levels again.