Last year, Dhaka residents breathed 'good air' only for 8 days
2023 air quality worst in 8 years, study finds
On the first day of the New Year, Dhaka's air quality reached a disastrous level of 300.
In any other country, such an alarming situation would lead to emergency health warnings and the shutting down of educational institutions, but this was not the case for Bangladesh.
The bad air quality was also nothing new.
In 2023, Dhaka's residents breathed "good" air for eight days. This was an improvement from 2022, when "good" air lasted for a single day.
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But despite the eight days, 2023 still managed to become the year of the worst air quality for Bangladesh in the last eight years, according to a study by the Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS).
The annual average Air Quality Index (AQI) soared to 171, a 15.20% increase over 2022.
The lower the AQI, the better the air quality. Any number between 0-50 is considered good.
At 150, it is unhealthy. Once past the 300 mark, it becomes "hazardous" – with the advisory being to avoid all physical activity outdoors.
Dhaka residents only breathed "good" air – an AQI between 0-50 – for 47 days in the entire eight-year period (2016-2023) studied by the CAPS.
Dhaka's air was "extremely unhealthy" or "hazardous" for 13 days in 2023, the highest in the past eight years.
The CAPS analysed Dhaka's AQI data obtained from the American Embassy in Bangladesh.
Unhealthy air quality prevailed for a significant portion of 2023.
During this period, Dhaka residents experienced "hazardous" air for 55 days, "very unhealthy" air for 541 days, and "unhealthy for sensitive groups" for 778 days.
Professor Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, CAPS chairman, told The Business Standard that unregulated long-term road works with exposed construction materials and increased traffic congestion, alongside unfit vehicles, were the key culprits for air pollution.
Besides, the concentration of development projects on city roads was another factor.
These have significantly contributed to the rising pollution levels, he emphasised.
Controlling these factors in a regulated manner was crucial for reducing air pollution, according to the study.
The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.
When unhealthy (201-300), people with heart and lung disease, older adults and children should avoid all outdoor physical activity.
Getting harder to breathe
According to the study, the annual average air quality index (AQI) has been steadily increasing in recent years, reaching its highest levels in 2021 (159) and 2022 (163).
This trend continued in 2023, with an AQI of 171.
In contrast, the lowest annual AQIs were observed in 2017 (146) and 2020 (143), likely due to the reduced economic activity during the 2020 Covid-19 induced lockdown.
Furthermore, the data shows a distinct seasonal pattern, with the highest average AQIs consistently occurring in January (248) and the lowest in July (89) and August (98) from 2016 to 2023 (except for 2022).
Dhaka once again holds the distinction of having the world's worst air quality, with an AQI score of 281 last night, placing it among the top 110 most polluted cities globally.
Following Dhaka are Delhi, Lahore and Shenyang of China, with AQI scores of 265, 217, and 207 respectively, rounding out the top four most polluted cities.
The High Court, in February 2022, directed the authorities to identify pollution sources and formulate action plans, but these directives have been largely ignored.
The Department of Environment, tasked with providing technical assistance, has held meetings and distributed leaflets, while a high-level national committee formed in November 2022 has offered no concrete recommendations.
