Dust nuisance

DUST in the air has lately become a great hindrance to movement in Dhaka. In the past, it was during the seasons of storm and late winter that people had to endure the menace. The scene has changed. Nowadays except monsoon, people round the year are seen moving through dust-filled areas. The scenes of the city residents walking along streets or travelling by rickshaw with hands covering their nose are now a common spectacle. Many use protective masks which cannot save one from the superfine dust particles. It's people in some specific areas who normally fall victim to the dust nuisance. Those include areas with time-worn and dug-out roads, and those having vast expanses with little vegetation.

Different utility services working on underground lines in the city are normally found leaving the spots with trenches shabbily earth-filled. The piles of damp earth, when get dried, are a potent source of dust. Continued grievances expressed by the citizens over the practice have proved futile. As a result, Dhaka has virtually become a byword for a 'city of dust'. Long exposures to dust result in multiple health hazards. Dusty air is blamed for unremitting bouts of coughs and breathing complications. In short, this scourge remaining unchecked can make an urban life miserable. Dhaka is going through just that.

As a solution, the authorities in charge of the city's overall upkeep, construction and repair of roads and maintenance of utility lines need to be sensitised. In the downslide of a city's position in the index of livability, experts pick dust as one of the great culprits.

Shahzadi Saira Banu

Banani, Dhaka