Combating high pollution

REPORT published recently by 'Lancet' journal is shocking and frustrating. It shows that Bangladesh is now among the top countries of the world where more deaths are taking place due to environmental pollution. In fact, environmental pollution like filthy air and contaminated water are killing more people every year than war or violence, smoking, hunger or natural disasters and AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined.

One of out of every six premature deaths in the world in 2015, about nine million, was attributed to diseases from toxic exposure, according to a major study by the Lancet medical journal.

The financial cost from pollution-related death, sickness and welfare is equally massive, the report says, costing some $4.6 trillion in annual losses or about 6.2 per cent of the global economy.

Various types of pollution have already assumed ominous proportions in Bangladesh. Particularly air pollution is largely affecting our total ecosystem. Moreover water and soil are also getting polluted rapidly. Noise pollution is also rising in our cities.

It is imperative that policy makers and all responsible authorities should come forward to combat pollution now before it causes a mass tragedy. Common people should also come forward from their respective positions.

Md. Tarek Aziz Bappi

Department of Political Science University of Dhaka

[email protected]