News in brief-16-07-2022

Flood death toll stands at 119: DGHS
The death toll from the devastating floods in the country rose to 119 on Friday morning, with another death in Moulvibazar district in the past 24 hours. The latest victim drowned in floodwaters, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Of the total deceased, 92 people drowned in floodwaters, 15 were struck by lightning, two died from snake bite, one from diarrhoea, and nine others due to other reasons. Of the deceased, 65 people died in Sylhet, 41 in Mymensingh, 12 in Rangpur and one in Dhaka division, the DGHS said. Of a total of 70 flood-hit upazilas, 33 are in Sylhet division, 16 in Rangpur division, 20 in Mymensingh division and one in Chattogram division. Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrakona and Kurigram are the worst-hit districts, with 13, 11, 10 and nine upazilas being affected by floods, respectively. — UNB.

Dhaka's air quality remains 'moderate'
Dhaka's air quality continues to be in the 'moderate' zone. With an air quality index (AQI) score of 62 at 9.25am Friday, the metropolis ranked 29th in the list of world cities with the worst air quality. An AQI between 50 and 100 is considered 'moderate' with an acceptable air quality. However, there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone. Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon. A report by the Department of Environment (DoE) and the World Bank in March 2019 pointed out that the three main sources of air pollution in Dhaka "are brick kilns, fumes from vehicles and dust from construction sites". — UNB.
Falling crane kills BRT project worker in Gazipur
A construction worker of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project died after a crane fell on him in Gazipur's Chandna Chourasta area on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway on Friday afternoon. The identity of the worker couldn't be known yet. Some others were injured in the accident. Mohsin Reza, a Supplier of Rafiq Enterprize, said that the crane fell off a trailer truck, causing the death of the construction worker. "The deceased's body has been sent to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy," said Maleq Khasru Khan, an Officer In-charge of Gazipur Metropolitan Police's (GMP) Bason police station. — UNB
Two children drown in Bagerhat
Two minor children drowned in a pond near their home in Mongla upazila of Bagerhat on Friday, police said. The children were identified as Md Jim, 5, son of Delwar Sheikh, and his cousin Brishti, 4, daughter of Lavlu Sheikh, of Telikhali village. They fell into the pond near their house at around 11 am while playing, said Md Monirul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Mongla police station. Later, local people found the children floating in water and rushed them to Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared them dead, the OC added. "A case has been filed," he added. — UNB