Dhaka air pollution marks fall over 1 decade: Experts

Gradual adoption of greener fuels for transport vehicles over the last one decade is showing a prospect of reducing air pollution in the city, experts said. They suggested that steps should be taken to accelerate the change of fuels to achieve further improvement in the air condition. Prof Dil Afroza Begum of Chemical Engineering Department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) said that the presence of carbon monoxide (CO) in the air of Mohakhali are in the capital has come down from 8,000 ppm (parts per million) to 2,500 ppm between 2001 and 2010. The presence of CO in the air of Moghbazar and Sonargaon intersection areas has dropped down proportionately during the same period, she said referring to a study, titled ‘Impact of Regional Cooperation on Reduction and Air and Water Pollution Level of Dhaka City’. The study was done by a group of experts recently. Environmentalists, university professors and researchers noted that the reduction in CO and other pollutants in the air of Dhaka city have been taking place because of gradual change of fuel in transport vehicles. They recommended that air pollution can be further reduced if the traffic congestion in the city could be mitigated. If the vehicles can ply on roads with a speed over 30 km per hour most of the time, the emission of CO and hydrocarbons can be reduced to a great extent, they said. Simultaneously, the use of better petroleum products must be increased, they added, according to a private TV channel.