Air pollution in Dhaka city: Causes

and Effect

Created For:
Dr. Md. Monirul Islam (Mrl)
Course: ENV107
Section: 14
Created By:
Name ID
A. M. Abrar Uddin Abir 1911905030
Abdullah Al Jaber 1821247010
Farhan Islam Rahat 1731787630
According to ‘WHO’, Air pollution is contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by
any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the
atmosphere. Household combustion devices, motor vehicles, industrial facilities and forest fires
are common sources of air pollution. Air contamination is one of the most major issues on the
planet as it has some health and environmental effects. It is estimated to cause about 3.7 million
premature deaths worldwide and destroys enough crops to feed millions of people every year.

Air pollution can cause long-term and short-term health effects. It also badly effects our

environment. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), each year, about 4 million

people die early because of outdoor air pollution, the main culprits are fine particles with

diameters of 2.5 micrometers or less (PM2.5). These can penetrate deep into the lungs, heart and

bloodstream, where they cause diseases and cancers. Air pollution causes damage to crops,

animals, forests, and bodies of water. It also contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer,

which protects the Earth from the sun's UV rays. Another negative effect of air pollution is the

formation of acid rain, which harms trees, soils, rivers, and wildlife. Some of the other

environmental effects of air pollution are haze, eutrophication, and global climate change. So, air

pollution is a global problem which severely harming our health and destroying our environment.

Air contamination has turned into a matter of extraordinary worry for us as of late. The

individuals who are living amid air pollution have just acknowledged how genuinely air

contamination has been harming life and corrupting the earth. Individuals living in significant

towns of Bangladesh experience the issues of air contamination in changed degrees. The air

nature of Dhaka city shows that the centralization of suspended particles in the surrounding air is

commonly higher than ordinary. This air, which the city occupants and road users regularly

inhale, contains lead in concentrations reportedly almost ten times higher than the government

safety standard set by the Department of Environment (DOE). Around 50 tons of leads are
emitted into Dhaka city's air every year and the emanation arrives at its most elevated level in

dry season (November-January).

Causes

Fundamentally, there are two significant wellsprings of air pollution in Bangladesh vehicular

emanations and industrial emanation. The mechanical sources incorporate break ovens, compost

manufacturing plants, paper, jute, sugar and textile factories, spinning plants, tanneries, some

food industrial facilities, garment, chemical and medicine factories, cement production and

processing plants, metal workshops, wooden dust from saw plants and tidies from furrowed land

and construction. These sources produce huge measure of smokes, vapor, gases and dust, which

make the condition for the creation of mist and brown haze. Certain factories in Bangladesh, for

example, tanneries in Dhaka City, emanate ammonia, hydrogen, sulphide, chlorine, and some

different foul synthetic chemical that are toxic and cause problems to people leading to

complains of irritation. This can cause migraine and other medical issues.

With expanded pace of urbanization in the nation, the quantity of vehicles is additionally

expanding quickly, and adding to increasingly more air contamination. Department of

Environment (DOE), and other similar associations, have recognized the two-stroke motors used

in auto rickshaws, tempos, small scale trucks, and bikes as significant polluters. At this time,

there are around 65000 auto rickshaws among them in excess of 296,000 motor vehicles exist in

Dhaka City alone. In addition, over-burden, poor kept and old trucks and buses are additionally

roaming the city producing smokes and gases. Indeed about 90% of the vehicles that are in
Dhaka's roads every day are flawed, and they produce huge amount of harmful gasses which is

way above the limit of the pollution they are allowed to make. Diesel vehicles produce dark

smoke, which contain carbon particles which are unburned.

Effects

Air pollution has also long been known to have an adverse effect on human beings, plants,

livestock and aquatic eco system through acid rain. Dhaka is fast turning into an inhabitable city.

Dhaka city air reported to containing higher proportion of lead and carbon monoxide (CO) must

be considered very alarming. Air pollution has become a matter of great concern for us in recent

years. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated in its News Briefs that pollution

levels of lead in Bangladesh are among the world’s highest during dry season, according to

Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), with levels falling during periods of medium

and heavy rainfall. The volume of poisonous particles in the city air has reached far beyond the

permissible level for human body in recent years. The Dhaka city dwellers are always at a

serious health risk due to the highly polluted air, warned health experts. The increasingly high

concentration of toxic elements in the air is causing a foggy blanket in the city sky at present.

The air quality of the city is lethal for human body especially during winter and post winter.

poisonous carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, suspended particulate matter

(PM-10) and particulate matter (PM-2.5) exist in Dhaka's air beyond permissible level for human

body. Due to increase of PM-10 and PM-2.5, people lose lung function and suffer from chronic

respiratory and cardiovascular diseases while nitrogen dioxide increase risks of bronchitis and
pneumonia. Nitrogen dioxide causes respiratory infection. Carbon monoxide reduces delivery of

oxygen into the human body, creates severe headache and decreases visual perception and

manual dexterity. Around 75% of the ingested lead is deposited in bones and tissues causing

irreversible brain and kidney damage. Growing nervous system of young children is particularly

vulnerable. Bangladesh has yet to be implemented a National Air Quality Standard, there are no

detail air quality regulations based on which Environmental Impact Assessment could be done.

Very few works have been done on air quality measurements and national air pollutants

estimates in Bangladesh. Government should strengthen vehicle emission standards, regulations

and enforcement. Measures to reduce fuel demand and improve traffic conditions are also critical

to ensuring a net emission reduction and should be used as a complement to technical measures.

Effects of Air Pollutants: 

Our city has been greatly affected by air pollutants. The air quality index which is a

measurement of the health of the air for Dhaka is very low at a very dangerous level. This greatly

affects the health of the people of the city. The effects are:

Carbon di-oxide (CO2): It is a major absorber of infrared radiation emitted towards the space

from the earth surface. Thus, it has crucial role in planetary temperature structure.

Carbon monoxide (CO): If inhaled, it is absorbed from the lung alveoli 300 times faster than

oxygen. High concentration of CO in blood makes it difficult for heart to pump blood through

arteries.
Hydrocarbons (HC): Unburnt hydrocarbon may form ozone with oxides of nitrogen which is a

central nervous system depressant. Other hydrocarbons cause convulsion of CNS.

Oxides of nitrogen (NOx): Causes dilatation of air spaces in lungs. NO2 causes damages to

bronchioles and alveolar ducts. NO2 is also suspected to impair the defense mechanism of

respiratory system. Infants and children are more susceptible.

Particulate matter: Diesel emits suspended particulate matter (SPM) which contains shoot.

Shoot is responsible for reduction of atmospheric visibility and absorb and carry organic

compound to lungs.

Lead (Pb): Around 75% of the ingested lead is deposited in bones and tissues causing

irreversible brain and kidney damage. Growing nervous system of young children

are particularly vulnerable.

Conclusion

Air pollution in Dhaka is a high priority concern as it is seriously affecting the quality of life in

the city and represents a major public health issue. Although pollutants emitted from the

transport sector clearly constitute the major pollution problem in Dhaka, no emission inventory

detailing sources of pollution is currently available. Various study shows that seventy percent of

the roadsides of the city are severely polluted. Its consequence on the health of the city dwellers

is very concerning. The ambient levels of PM, SO2, Pb far exceed the Bangladesh air quality

standards and WHO guidelines, resulting pollution, which comprises more than 55 percent days

of a year. There is also evidence that ambient NO2 concentration regularly below the acceptable
limit defined by the air quality standard. Although there is a lack of time-series data, the air

quality measurements available indicate that Dhaka’s air pollution is worsening. Some positive

steps like replacement of 2-stroke 3 wheelers by CNG powered 3- wheelers and introduction of

unleaded gasoline have improved the quality of air, but still lack of regular monitoring and

examining of emission from motor vehicles, limited no. of streets comparing to increasing

volume of traffic, lack of management of traffic system hamper the quality of air immensely,

which must be addressed and assessed accordingly.