Air pollution isn't new, but how often do we stop to think about the air we breathe? For most of us, it's invisible, intangible-until its effects hit close to home. Living in Dhaka, one of the most polluted cities in the world, I've experienced this firsthand. My chest pains during outdoor workouts led me on a journey to uncover the reality of air pollution and its devastating impact. But the problem remains: How do we make people care about air pollution?
The invisible crisis
Air pollution is not a distant issue but a clear and present danger. Yet, many overlook its dangers because its effects are not immediately visible.
We often fail to act on what we can't see-until it's too late. But the truth is stark: air pollution is slowly poisoning our cities, children, and future.
As I write this piece, Dhaka city's Air Quality Index reading is 181. Breathing air this bad for 24 hours is equal to smoking nine cigarettes! The numbers tell the story. Dhaka's air is filled with pollutants from traffic, brick kilns, waste burning, and construction dust. Our landfills emit methane and release toxic smoke from burning plastic, adding to the toxic soup in our air. In traffic jams, drivers idling their engines for air conditioning unknowingly contribute to the crisis.
What's at stake? Our health, our environment, and our children's futures. Bangladesh is already seeing rising rates of lung cancer, heart disease, strokes, asthma, and COPD.
Children born today grow up under grey, polluted skies, never knowing the clean winter air our parents and grandparents once took for granted.
The cost of change
Dhaka's air wasn't always this hazardous. Although the air quality has never met the WHO guideline, the pollution levels we are currently facing are setting a new record high.
During Covid, the air cleared up somewhat, but afterwards, air pollution came back with a vengeance, setting new record heights in particulate concentrations previously unseen.
With a history of 30 years of inferior air quality, no one can claim that this public health emergency came out of nowhere. The newspapers are full of fruitless efforts to tackle the causes of air pollution. Unfortunately, creating change takes effort-serious effort.
Awareness campaigns, stricter regulations, cleaner technologies-none happens overnight. It requires persistence, collective action, and bold decisions. Our government must enforce laws and monitor emissions, and industries must invest in sustainable practices.
But it's not just about systemic change; individuals have a role too. We can make small changes that add up-advocating for covered construction sites, reducing leaf burning, or switching off your car's AC when stuck in traffic.
We host workshops and school sessions to teach people how to protect themselves and demand change. Yet, progress is slow, and the challenges remain immense.
The Airvenger: A call to action
Realizing that facts alone wouldn't inspire change, we decided to try something bold. Enter Sana Aira, Dhaka's very own superhero! Modeled after my daughter, Sana Aira is the world's first superhero fighting air pollution. Her name combines "Sana," meaning "shining light," and "Aira," meaning "breeze."
Sana Aira isn't just a symbol; she's a call to action. Armed with her Filter Fists and awareness waves, she battles pollution monsters like Smogster and Toxina.
She rescues kids from polluted parks, filters air for seniors, and warns families with her AQI lightning alerts. Most importantly, she reminds us that anyone can become an Airvenger.
The next generation
As a parent, I look at my daughter and wonder what kind of world we are leaving for her. Today's children growing up in Dhaka have never seen clear skies or breathed clean winter air. Their world has endless traffic jams, unregulated industries, and polluted playgrounds.
But I believe in their potential. The young generation has the passion, creativity, and drive to push for the change we couldn't achieve. Inspired by them, we must act now to ensure their tomorrow is better than our today.
The fight against air pollution requires everyone-citizens, industries, and governments-to work together. Clean air isn't a privilege; it's a right. We owe it to our children to act now. If we don't act now, what will be left to breathe?
Boudewijn Sterk is a Dutch national who has lived in Dhaka since 2013.
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