Dust in the wind: Dhaka dwellers choke as authorities fail to act
As the monsoon ends and the weather starts to dry, Dhaka residents, already burdened with polluted air, witness a surge in dust in the air even before winter arrives. From experience, they know it's about to get worse.
Tajwar Hossain, a resident of Basila in the city, has been suffering from a cough and other breathing complications for the past week due to the unbearable dust on the Sadarghat-Gabatli road, which he takes every day to go to his office in Mirpur 1.
"The amount of dust in the Gabtali area is increasing alarmingly even though the weather has just started to dry up. The ongoing development work in many parts of the Sadarghat-Gabatli road is worsening the situation," he told The Business Standard.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Tajwar said, "Clothes worn after travelling on the road cannot be used the next day, and the dust can be so thick that it darkens the road and forces vehicles to use their headlights, even during the day.
"I have been suffering from shortness of breath, cough, and other complications. The doctor has advised me to rest at home for a week and avoid dust as much as possible. But is it possible to avoid dust in Dhaka? The city is full of it."
This is a common sight in almost all areas of Dhaka, exacerbated by road digging works done by various organisations, including Dhaka Wasa, Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC), Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Ltd (BTCL), and the two City Corporations.
Although there are laws in place to regularly sprinkle water in under-construction areas, they are not obeyed in most areas.
According to IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company, Dhaka had an air quality index (AQI) of 170 on Thursday (19 October), making it the most polluted city in the world. Even on holidays, Dhaka's AQI is typically over 200, which is considered to be "very unhealthy" air quality.
In this year's forecast, IQAir says, Dhaka's air quality will worsen further with the onset of winter. This is because the drop in temperature will lead to an increase in the amount of pollutants in the air.
The lack of change in Dhaka's AQI scores throughout the day suggests that the city's air pollution is a chronic problem, not just an occasional issue. This is a serious concern for the health of Dhaka's residents, as air pollution is a major contributor to respiratory problems, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and early death.
Despite the severity of the problem, the city authorities have failed to take any meaningful action to address the air pollution crisis.
Little action despite HC order
In February 2021, the High Court of Bangladesh issued three-point instructions to save the people of Dhaka from pollution caused by dust.
The director general of the Directorate of Fire Service and Civil Defense was instructed to take necessary measures to sprinkle water at various points in Dhaka, including Gabtali, Jatrabari, Purbachal, Keraniganj, Tongi, and the entrances to the city.
The city corporations were also asked to spray water on the streets of Dhaka to clean the dust accumulated on roads and on small trees on the side of the road.
The court also ordered the Dhaka Wasa to supply water to two city corporations in case of water shortage.
These instructions were issued in response to a petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh, a local human rights organisation.
The High Court's instructions were a welcome step but were not implemented effectively.
How is the situation in Dhaka North and South City?
Officials of the two city corporations in Dhaka say that there are around 4,235 kilometres of roads with varying widths and that around 60% of these roads are being repaired at any given time. As a result, most of the dust in Dhaka comes from damaged roads.
A TBS reporter visited several areas of Dhaka North, including Gabtali, Mohammadpur, Mirpur, Pirerbagh, Kafrul, Mohakhali, Tejgaon, Badda, Shahjadpur, Gudaraghat, Gulshan-1, Uttarkhan, Dakshinkhan, and Harirampur, and found that a large portion of the roads in these areas are covered in dust.
The situation is particularly bad on alley roads, many of which have been cut open by various organisations.
Mirpur West Kafrul resident Asaduzzaman told TBS that Dhaka Wasa has been digging roads in the Taltala area for the past month. This has resulted in the entire area being covered in clay and dust, especially when there is no rain.
Even on the third floor of buildings, windows cannot be kept open because the dust will cover everything in the room.
Asaduzzaman also said that Dhaka Wasa is not taking any steps to control the dust.
Dhaka South City is also facing the same problem, with areas including Dhanmondi, Shahbagh, parts of Old Dhaka, Lalbagh, Babubazar, Chawkbazar, Kadamatoli, Gendaria, Gopibagh, Jatrabari, Bangshal, Nazirabazar, Free School Street, Green Road, Meradia, Motijheel, Shantinagar, Azimpur, and Newmarket being particularly affected.
Raihan, a resident of the Beribadh area of Lalbagh, told TBS, "Roads in my neighbourhood are covered in dust all the time, making it look like a war zone. Even the walls of nearby houses have acquired a different colour."
'Measures taken' but meagre
Dhaka North Chief Executive Officer Md Selim Reza told TBS that road digging is necessary for development, but if developers do not comply with environmental regulations, legal action will be taken, including fines. However, it is not always possible to take action in all cases.
Reza also said that the city has 20 water trucks to sprinkle water, but this is not enough to check dust.
Md Khairul Baker, a superintendent engineer at Dhaka South, told TBS that there are more public and private construction projects in Dhaka this year than in previous years and that most of these projects do not take any measures to prevent dust.
He said that the city is trying to sprinkle water on the roads to control dust, but that this is not possible to do on all roads due to a lack of water from Dhaka Wasa.
Baker also said that it is important to install fire hydrants on the side of the road in Dhaka as fire hydrants installed along the roads of other countries can be used for both dust control and fire extinguishing.
Begum Shahanaj Rahman, deputy director (Air Management) at the Department of Environment, told TBS that the department has a central committee to prevent air pollution and that regular activities are conducted under the supervision of this committee. Regular raids are conducted with mobile courts in different parts of Dhaka.
Shahanaj also said one of the main causes of dust pollution in Dhaka is lack of effective waste management. She said that improper waste management leads to the generation of dust.
What do experts say?
Dr Arman Hossain, a medicine and chest specialist at the National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital, told The Business Standard, "Due to dust, the rate of respiratory diseases including allergy and asthma is increasing every year. Children and the elderly are the most affected by dust.
"Apart from the respiratory system, dust is also responsible for lung cancer."
The National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital in Dhaka treated over 2,10,000 patients, both outdoors and in the emergency department in 2021. Seven years ago, the number was 85,000.
Prof Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, chairman of the Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies, told TBS that air pollution in Dhaka is about 10% higher this year than in 2022, even though the dry season has not yet arrived. This is a 14% increase compared to the average of the past seven years.
Kamruzzaman said that he does not see any significant action by the Department of Environment or the City Corporation to prevent dust pollution. Actions are not being taken against those who are polluting the environment.
If proper laws were implemented, Dhaka's dust pollution could be reduced by 30%, he added.
