Dhaka:OBHIZATRIK Foundation has launched a new initiative to enhance air pollution monitoring in Dhaka, with a focus on underserved communities, by deploying a network of hyperlocal PM2.5 monitoring devices.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the foundation hosted an inception meeting for its project titled 'Breathing Dhaka Open-Access Hyperlocal PM2.5 Monitoring in Underserved Communities' at the Department of Environment (DoE) headquarters in Agargaon. The project is backed by the Air Quality Fund 2026 from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC).
The meeting featured DoE Director General Dr Md Lutfor Rahman as the chief guest, while OBHIZATRIK Foundation President Ahmed Imtiaz Jami presented the project's goals and implementation strategy. Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, chairman of the Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies and technical lead of the project, detailed its technical framework.
Lutfor Rahman highlighted the initiative's potential impact on monitoring Dhaka's air quality and expressed optimism that it would aid in removing the city from the list of the world's most polluted. Jami emphasized the foundation's commitment to working with vulnerable communities who are disproportionately affected by air pollution.
The initiative plans to monitor air quality, collaborate with government and non-government stakeholders, contribute to policy development, and promote public awareness through social and behavioral change programs. Dr Majumder noted that devices would be installed in eight low-income, industrial-adjacent, and pollution-vulnerable areas in Dhaka, collecting data continuously for a year and cross-validating it with DoE data.
The project's data will be publicly accessible, with research papers published based on the findings. It aims to establish a comprehensive monitoring network across Dhaka, focusing on historically underserved areas. The inception meeting also covered implementation strategies, sensor installation, and location selection, with input from government, non-government, and academic representatives, including faculty from Stamford University Bangladesh and BUET.
The initiative is expected to generate valuable community-level air quality data, supporting environmental research, pollution monitoring, and evidence-based policy-making.