‘Elephant Road most, Mohammadpur least polluted areas in Dhaka’

Different parts of Dhaka – including Elephant Road, Tejgaon and New Market – have been marked as the most polluted in the city, in terms of air quality.

A report entitled "Levels of Air Pollution in 70 Places of Dhaka City" released the information on Saturday at a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity's (DRU) Nasrul Hamid Auditorium.

The press conference was jointly organised by Stamford University and Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA).

According to the report, "Elephant Road, New Market's main gate and Tejgaon's industrial areas are the most polluted areas while Taj Mahal Road in Mohammadpur, Agargaon Children's Hospital and D-Block in Mirpur's Pallabi have been marked as the least polluted areas in Dhaka city."

Professor Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, Department Chair of Department of Environmental Science at Stamford University Bangladesh told The Business Standard that, "Annualy 65% of the city's air pollution occurs during the winter season due to dry weather. It is mandatory to lower the air pollution level in Dhaka and its adjacent areas by putting water on the roads and trees."

The report mentions that air pollution in Dhaka city increased by 12.2% in 2020 compared to 2019.

"335 micrograms of particulate matter have been found per square meter across the city. Whereas, the safe amount is 65 micrograms. It has been found that particulate matter is 5.2 times higher in the city," according to the report.

The average value in sensitive areas decreased by 8% in 2020 compared to 2019.

Air pollution in Dhaka city is mostly caused by the burning of fossil fuels or gases from vehicles, factories and waste. However, the dust created from construction work is also polluting the capital's air, the report says.

Sources of air pollution:

Construction 30%, previously it was 16%

Brick kilns 29%, previously it was 58%

Vehicles 15%, previously it was 10%

Trans-boundary 10%

Household 9%

Waste burning 8%