Dhaka North plans 50 air purifiers to curb air pollution: Expert says it won’t be effective

To tackle Dhaka's worsening air pollution, the Dhaka North City Corporation is planning to install air purifiers at 50 locations, its Administrator Mohammad Azaz announced yesterday (28 April).

Speaking to The Business Standard, Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) General Secretary Shaikh Muhammad Mehedi Ahsan, however, said the plan may not be effective.  

"Such a system is not very effective for a polluted city like Dhaka. Therefore, before going for this system, the city corporation can install it in a few experimental places and take the output from there and take the next step." 

He said the air pollution scenario in Dhaka did not match that of other cities.

"At the same time, the management and cost issues will also have to be considered before going for such technology."

Yesterday, Azaz highlighted how each purifier was capable of purifying and cooling the air equivalent to the function of approximately 100 trees.

"The air purifiers will be placed in various public spaces. Each device will purify the air like about a hundred trees. We are moving towards such engineering solutions. While quick fixes are necessary, we are also working on long-term sustainable solutions," he told an event.

He added that although the devices were expensive, Dhaka North had secured sponsors to fund the installation of all 50 purifiers, meaning the city corporation will not have to bear any cost. 

Meanwhile, Muhammad Mehedi Ahsan said multiple actions will have to be taken to reduce air pollution in Dhaka. 

"The first thing that needs to be done is to plan what to do in the immediate, medium and long term to prevent pollution. Steps will have to be taken on how to stop the sources of pollution." 

He suggested increasing green areas and preserving the current one and water bodies next to those as being a better move than installing air purifiers.