Air pollution in February 2024 was 2.17% higher than the previous seven-year February average in the capital city of Dhaka, which experts attributed to a lack of adequate and effective measures by the authorities concerned.

February 2024 stood third in the average air pollution in the last seven years, with the highest average air pollution occurring in 2019, said Professor Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, chairman of the Department of Environment at Stamford University and chairman of Center for the Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS).

According to a monthly statistical analysis of the CAPS, the average air quality index (AQI) for February from 2017 to 2024 was 193, 216, 236, 221, 231, 214, 225.2, and 225.4 respectively, with the highest levels recorded in 2019. Experts said this surge in air pollution is a cause for concern, especially considering the adverse health effects associated with prolonged exposure to polluted air.
Prof Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, chairman of CAPS, told the Daily Sun the highest level of air pollution in Dhaka usually occurs in January, followed by February and December.

He said 57% of air pollution happens during the winter
season (November-March) while 43% occurs in the monsoon or pre-monsoon period in the capital city.
In the last five years, the highest air pollution index 333 was on 18 February 2024 while the top level air pollution index 344 was on 15 February 2019, according to the CAPS.
In February, the air quality was “unhealthy” for 10 days, “very unhealthy” for 18 days and “extremely unhealthy” for one day. An AQI between 151 and 200 is considered “unhealthy”, 201-300 “very unhealthy” and 301-400 is considered “extremely unhealthy”.

Air pollution level in Dhaka poses an excessive health risk for many years to come unless significant environmental control measures are effectively undertaken, said Dr Abdus Salam, professor of the Chemistry Department at Dhaka University and researcher on air pollution.
“We consistently emit pollution into the air. We must take action to reduce these emissions,” he stated.
“Brick kilns are not the primary contributors to air pollution. Research has found the increasing pollution from vehicles, industries, garment factories, roadways, and construction dust. Urgent action is needed to address these sources of pollution,” he added. “We have to create an alternative to traditional brick kilns. When we offer an alternative of traditional bricks at a competitive price people will not buy traditional bricks,” he said.

Apart from these, many vehicles running in Dhaka city are more than 20 years old. The quality of diesel and octane is also not up to the mark, he added.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants – Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone (O3), according to the Department of Environment.
South Asia is home to nine of the world’s 10 cities, including Dhaka, with the worst air pollution. Air pollution is responsible for about 20% of the total premature deaths in Bangladesh, according to a World Bank report published on 28 March 2023.
As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.

Poorly managed and old vehicles, along with intolerable traffic congestion, contribute significantly to the city’s air pollution by emitting large amounts of polluting gases and PM, said Engineer Abdus Sobhan, president of the Environment and Climate Change Movement.
The main sources of air pollution include emissions from old and faulty vehicles, especially those powered by diesel, as well as emissions from brick kilns, dust from roads and construction sites, and toxic fumes from industries.
According to the CAPS, residents of Dhaka experienced good air quality for only two days in February 2017, and the city has not witnessed good air quality during this month in the last six years.