A photo published in this paper yesterday of a steel rerolling mill in the residential area of Munshikhola in Pagla of Narayanganj emitting toxic gas, is nothing out of the ordinary, yet it highlights how the authorities seem to have turned a blind eye to such flagrant degradation of the environment. The factory management violated the existing environmental rules by operating such a mill.
It is not fog that we see enveloping the entire area but smog from the hazardous fumes that leads to severe consequences on public health. It is incomprehensible that such a grossly illegal act is taking place under the watchful eyes of the administration. If only their regulation was impactful, it would have helped to reduce air pollution—one of the leading causes of death in our country—through targeted policy measures.
Dhaka, one of the most polluted cities in the world, yesterday ranked worst in the Air Quality Index (AQI) and was classified as “unhealthy”. As per World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.
Despite the many laws regarding our environment, including The Environment Conservation Act 1995 and The Environment Court Act 2010, why have we failed so miserably to safeguard it? Is it our greed? Or is it our disregard? Or is it both? How are factories operating without environmental clearance certificates, and if they do possess it, why aren’t actions being taken against their crimes? The harm we have caused our environment thus far is a ticking bomb. How much has the Department of Environment been doing remains a big question. Being such ardent advocates of reducing activities that contribute to global warming why are we allowing such pollution to perpetuate? It is due time the government act with diligence and make policy decisions to shut down mills that pollute our air so indiscriminately. If we do not immediately address air pollution—that results from burning fossil fuels, industrial activities, transportation, poor waste management, etc—we may end up “choking” ourselves sooner than we think.
