Dhaka's sylvan past, sombre present

Bangladesh has long been one of the most ill-starred countries environmentally in the present world. The fact is extant. Despite the case being highly discomforting, it has to be accepted. It originates from no other sources than the World Bank (WB). The Bretton Woods organisation doesn't mince words when it singles out Bangladesh as the most environmentally polluted country in South Asia. Several times in the past, it has portrayed similar grim sketches of the country. To the distress of policymakers, WB was not alone in this portrayal. A lot of other international entities and watchdogs corroborated this gloomy view.
Of late the country has displayed impressive rises in some basic indexes related to health, living standard, literacy and life expectancy. These surveys spanned the developing nations in the South Asian region. The broader global studies have, however, found Bangladesh sticking to its virtually unchanging humble position --- with a negligible move upwards. In fact, when it comes to urban liveability, city lifestyle and the basic behavioural criteria, Bangladesh emerges with all its grimness. At the end of the day, it taints whatever gains the country has so far been capable of making in the socio-economic sectors. To add to the policymakers' woes, the EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit) has placed Dhaka second among the 10 least liveable cities in the world in 2018. The infamy is nothing new to this city, long decaying on the counts of adequate infrastructure and basic civic amenities. The WB finding evidently adds to Dhaka's markedly depressing outlook.
The World Bank survey for 2015, released September 16 last, has found environmental pollution had killed around 234,000 people in Bangladesh. Of these deaths, 80,000 occurred in the urban areas. The death figures are frighteningly high, that made Bangladesh one of the environmentally worst affected countries in the world in 2015. To call the tally mere bleak is understatement. For the report card on Dhaka contains worse information. Of the total 80,000 urban deaths, the city witnessed 18,000 of its dwellers die in the year 2015. What's most unsettling, a total of 843,000 people of the country lost their lives in that year owing to assorted types of hazards. Of them 28 per cent were the victims of environment pollution.
The impacts of the environmental scourge are discernible overtly. The pollution it creates continues to eat away at the vitals of a community or a nation in many insidious ways. The WB report has brought some of these erosions into sharp focus. According to its finding, the economic impact of environmental pollution in urban Bangladesh was $6.52 billion in 2015. Parallelly, the economic loss was equivalent to 3.4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in that year. Given these estimates, the extent of pollutions stemming from reckless urban activities can well be presumed. Their impact on the lives of the city's residents is also understood.
As has been seen in the last 2/3 decades, air pollution stands out among the rogue polluters in Dhaka. The exhaust fumes ejected by automobiles top the list of these pollution-related menaces. Air-borne dust is also among them. Surprisingly, the members of the public, the relevant authorities and environmental activists continue to raise outcry over reckless driving and other traffic irregularities. The malady of air pollution caused by exhaust fumes remains perennially unaddressed. Makeshift and small factories also aggravate Dhaka's air quality. In fact, Dhaka and the other cities of the country are buffeted by scores of urban pollutions. These stand in sharp contrast with the sylvan past of these cities -- especially Dhaka. The idyllic days of Dhaka cannot be brought back. But prompt measures and surveillance can help recreate a few ingredients of its liveability.

[email protected]