What Karwan Bazar-Farmgate's 'labour pain' tells us about Dhaka's pollution

A disabled man quietly sat across the Dhaka Wasa office in Karwan Bazar, begging for alms. His legs, much shorter than usual compared to the rest of his body, do not function.

But in many parts of Karwan Bazar, even a physically sound person will find the sidewalks hard to traverse, thanks to the plethora of potholes. The dust, air and sound pollution make it an even more precarious place. 

The nearby metro rail station's construction works have engulfed the entire area into what Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader once termed the "labour pains" of road construction. Dhaka, however, does not lack any such pains with all the megaprojects across the city. 

Hailing from Thakurgaon, the disabled man lives in a small room beside the neighbouring mosque with his wife. 

Photo: Rajib Dhar

"I can't hear properly," explained the disabled man, sitting beside a plastic road cone on this hardly accessible sidewalk, as we struggled to have a conversation. He was almost invisible. Seeking alms on one of the noisiest roads in Dhaka has taken its toll on his hearing capacity. 

Asked if he understands how the dust and pollution around damage his health, the man asked with a broad smile on his face "What can I do?." 

A recurring "what can I do?" surfaced in multiple conversations with pedestrians and commuters as we walked through the Karwan Bazar to Farmgate area to see how the city's people were faring in one of its most polluted spots. 

Dhaka had once again scored a 'hazardous' 325 in the Air Quality Index (AQI) on Wednesday (27 December) morning. 

A vendor named Rana sat under the metro rail station. He has been selling clothes out in the open for years and the city's dust and pollution have taken a major toll on his health as well. 

"I catch colds very frequently. Sneezing and coughing are constant companions," he said. He too said he was helpless and there was nothing to do. "The common people like us are chained. The state must do something in this regard," Rana told us pointing to the viscous impacts of the meteoric rise of pollution in Dhaka. 

On that Wednesday, around 1 pm, a peculiar man was sighted as we passed the SAARC Fountain. He was in a lungi and turbine patched up with a light winter blanket and was kissing the street fronting the fountain. 

An abnormal sight perhaps, but nothing quite felt abnormal in the cacophony of traffic noise and people, amid hues of smog and in the thickness of "labour pains." 

"In the developed world, if the AQI index is more than 301+ for three hours, there is a culture of issuing air pollution-oriented health emergencies," Professor Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, a leading expert on Dhaka's air pollution, told The Business Standard. 

"Sadly, we have noticed straight three days of continuous three-hour hazardous AQIs, but no such awareness steps were taken by the authorities," he added.

For the uninitiated, if the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered 'unhealthy for sensitive groups.' Values between 150 and 200 are 'unhealthy', those between 201 and 300 are 'very unhealthy', and the reading of 301+ is 'hazardous', meaning it poses serious health risks for residents.  

"From 2016 to 2023, we have had around 50-52 days that had hazardous air quality," Dr Kamruzzaman further added. 

We met CNG Driver Abdur Razzak in Kawran Bazar who complained about pollution. "I kept devouring the dust all day. When I get back home and get a bath, dirt comes out of my nose and throat," he said. Sohel, in charge of the Super Board store nearby, described a similar reality. 

The five months from November to March contribute to 65% of our air pollution year-wise. 

According to the WHO, fine particulate matter of 2.5 micrometres (around 15 microgram/m3), or less in diameter, is the most dangerous pollutant because it can penetrate the lung barrier and enter the blood system, causing cardiovascular and respiratory disease and cancers.

"In the last seven years till 2022, we have found that the average annual dust particle of Dhaka city has been 80-90 microgram/m3, almost 5-6 times more," he said. 

Those working out in the open bear the brunt of this constant high air pollution level.

Md Mamun works as a bus conductor on a bus which plies the Ashulia-Gulistan route. He was standing on the footpath heading towards Karwan Bazar in front of the SAARC Fountain as his bus was stuck in traffic. 

"I have trouble breathing," Mamun said. "I cannot wear masks as it makes communication with the passengers difficult. There is a lot of dust and pollution, but what to do?"

Another bus conductor named Ashraf near Farmgate also said that he had trouble breathing. "This happens because of the dust. Look at me, my body, it is full of dust. I feel bad. But what can I do? I don't smoke, but I still have painful coughing spells. Who do I complain to? No one is there to listen to our pain," Ashraf said. 

Ashraf, however, added that the road from Azimpur to the airport is even worse. 

Professor Kamruzzaman said that he has been working on air pollution in Dhaka for over a decade but has yet to determine a hotspot. 

"You can get a sound and waste pollution hotspot in Dhaka, but it is hard to determine a hotspot for air pollution as it keeps shifting. Wherever there are development projects and waste materials are being burned, the place becomes a hotspot for air pollution," he said. 

"The recent hotspots have been the Beribadh area, 300 feet area, Jatrabari, Agargaon, Mirpur 10 etc. 300 feet alone contributes to a large chunk of Dhaka's pollution," he said adding that currently, the area after Malibagh rail crossing is one of the hotspots because the expressway route is being built down that line which has already been plagued with pollution. 

We found a father and son duo in front of the SAARC Fountain who run a nursery in the area.  

"We splash water all around the area every morning. If you look around, the environment of this area has changed since when we first started. Anywhere if you start a nursery, the nearby area's environment does well. The dust has also reduced here," said Ibrahim, the son. 

His father Nurul Islam, who was the president of Doyel Chattar Dokan Malik Samity before they were evicted due to the metro rail construction project, said, "This area was so dirty, we cleaned it. This area used to stink, but now it has changed." 

Not so much, though, as we spotted people urinating just a few metres ahead; public toilets are a rarity here. 

According to the World Bank, air pollution caused about 78,145 to 88,229 deaths in Bangladesh in 2019. Another study by the University of Chicago's Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) revealed earlier this year (August 2023) that air pollution shortens the life expectancy of Bangladeshis by 6.8 years, while for Dhaka residents, the loss is 7.6 years. 

"During December, even a healthy man, when he is outside, suffers from coughing, allergies, irritation of the eyes, skin and throat. Pregnant women, the elderly, and kids suffer more. Long-term impact includes pulmonary disease development (COPD). 

Besides, pollutants like lead and heavy metals impact children's brain development, premature births and even deaths of babies," Dr Kamruzzaman said. 

On the 'Hazardous' AQI day, as we took a round-about walk from Banglamotor to Farmgate, the dizzying effects of air and sound pollution compounded with inaccessible sidewalks (many had construction machines piled on or broken footpaths) made the walk arduous – perhaps an understated observation. 

But that remains the reality for scores of Dhaka pedestrians and commuters. Unfortunately, based on the lived experiences of the people we interviewed, this route is surely bad but not the worst that the city has to offer them.