According to Global Voices, a 2023 study reported the presence of over 200 brick kilns in Savar, which are used to produce bricks for the construction industry. These kilns emit smoke, worsening the air pollution issues. This situation, along with its harmful effects on public health, has turned Savar Upazila into a severely air-polluted area. Additionally, during the dry season, air pollution from Savar is carried by the wind into Dhaka, significantly intensifying the megacity’s air pollution and negatively impacting the health of its residents.
The entire Savar Upazila has been declared a Degraded Airshed under the power of Rule 5 of the Air Pollution (Control) Rules, 2022. Savar was once a region of natural beauty, but as one resident, Ratan Pal, noted in a comment on the news site Prothom Alo, industrialization has severely altered the surrounding environment. Salahuddin Khan Naeem, General Secretary of the Savar Nagarik Committee, welcomed the government’s initiative and shared his views with the Dhaka Tribune.
Bangladesh is among the most polluted countries globally, with air pollution reducing the average life expectancy of its citizens by five and a half years, as highlighted in a recent Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. The report emphasizes that air pollution is the greatest external threat to life expectancy in Bangladesh. Over 166 million people in the country live in areas where the annual average particulate pollution exceeds both the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline and the country’s national standard of 35 micrograms per cubic meter. Even in Lalmonirhat, the least polluted district, particulate pollution is seven times higher than the WHO guidelines.
Between 1998 and 2023, the level of particulate pollution in Bangladesh increased by 66.2 percent, leading to a further 2.4-year reduction in life expectancy. UNICEF estimates that at least 19,000 children under the age of five died in 2021 due to air pollution. The Bangladesh branch of the child-welfare NGO has urged the government to implement sustainable measures to improve air quality for future generations.
Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, Chairman of the Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS), a research organization on air quality in Bangladesh, has also called for a coordinated effort from all stakeholders, including the Department of Environment, City Corporations, Road Transport Authority, Ministry of Industries and Commerce, and the National Housing Authority, to reduce air pollution. This declaration in Savar has opened a new horizon. However, to reduce air pollution across Bangladesh, focusing on just one area will not be enough. Only a coordinated effort from all citizens can ensure a healthy planet for future generations.