In the age of high-speed Internet communications, video games,
satellite television, and multimillion-dollar Hollywood budgets,
it can be hard to engage people in a discussion about air pollution.
But we all, living in this beautiful earth, breathe over 11,000
liters of air each day. Children breathe more air per kilogram of
body weight. The air, that we breathe to be alive, cannot be filtered
like water before going inside our body. Human lung is the only
filter of this invaluable air. But this priceless air, often called ambient air, is polluted due to human activities such as
driving vehicles, burning of coal, oil and other fossil fuels and
manufacturing of chemicals as well as many other industrial activities. Some
natural phenomena such as volcanoes, windstorms, the decomposition
of plants and animals, and even the aerosols emitted by the ocean
"pollute" the air. Hence, when we talk about air pollution
it is as a result of human activity.
Air
pollution is a major environmental health problem, affecting developed
and developing countries around the world. Increasing amounts of
potentially harmful gases and particles are being emitted into the
atmosphere on a global scale, resulting in damage to human health
and the environment. It is damaging the resources needed for the
long-term sustainable development of the planet.
Bangladesh
is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and
its urban areas suffer from air pollution of different levels and
it is extremely high in Dhaka city where the population is about
12 million in around 400 km2 of surface area. It has been estimated
that air pollution is causing about 15,000 premature deaths and
several million cases of illness every year, in Dhaka city alone.
The economic cost of this sickness and deaths is estimated to be
$132 -$583 million per year for Dhaka and $200-$800 million per
year for the four largest cities of Bangladesh, which is equivalent to 0.7%-3.0%
of the country’s GDP per year.
This
high level of air pollution and its economic cost demands a comprehensive
air quality management plan to improve the air quality in Dhaka
city as well as other major cities of Bangladesh. Air Quality Management
Project (AQMP) is a government initiative partially funded by The
World Bank to develop components of an urban air quality management
system to reduce human exposure to air pollution. The key components
of this development project are: improved enforcement and compliance with existing emission control regulations for both stationary and mobile sources; setting of
appropriate emission standards from different sources; piloting of appropriate interventions for reducing emissions from
gross polluting vehicles; better monitoring and dissemination of
information; impact evaluation due to air pollution on public health;
and evolving air pollution abatement strategies for major cities
of the country. The objectives of this website are:
• To generate public awareness of air quality issues.
• To provide educational information on the science of air pollution.
• To provide an overview of Department of Environment’s
(DoE) air quality management activities.
• To disseminate daily Air Quality Index (AQI).
• To provide information on air quality policies and regulations.
• To receive feedback from the public and different stakeholders
on air quality issues.
In the following web pages, the above mentioned information can be
found that will be updated regularly.
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