Old, junk vehicles causing serious environmental threat to Dhaka
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
Thick black smoke emitted by nearly 0.15 million (1.5 lakh) old and junk vehicles is causing a serious environmental threat to the Dhaka city dwellers, reports BSS.
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) admitted that nearly 50 per cent of the vehicles in the capital do not have fitness certificates, a senior official of BRTA said.
The sources said, in collaboration with a section of dishonest officials of BRTA for a long time the owners get certificates from the road transport authority allowing the unfit vehicles to ply.
With the growth of population in a city motorised traffic on roads are also on the rise. It is estimated that about 100 used or new motorised vehicles are entering on roads of Dhaka city every day where road space covers only about six per cent of city area. At present, more than 0.32 million motor vehicles ply in Dhaka city alone. Moreover, overloaded, poorly maintained and very old trucks and mini-buses are also plying the city streets emitting smokes and gases.
In fact about 90 per cent of the vehicles that ply Dhaka's streets daily are faulty and emit smoke far exceeding the prescribed limit. Diesel vehicles emit black smoke, which contain unburned fine carbon particles.
Diesel-run vehicles account for more than 80 per cent of the air pollution in Dhaka as most of them fail to comply with the approved emission standard, said a recently published survey report.
Air pollution levels in Dhaka are considerably higher than Bangladeshi standards or World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines for residential areas.
According to a study of WHO, blood lead level above 10 g/dl (microgram per decilitre) is considered to be a case of lead poison.
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) admitted that nearly 50 per cent of the vehicles in the capital do not have fitness certificates, a senior official of BRTA said.
The sources said, in collaboration with a section of dishonest officials of BRTA for a long time the owners get certificates from the road transport authority allowing the unfit vehicles to ply.
With the growth of population in a city motorised traffic on roads are also on the rise. It is estimated that about 100 used or new motorised vehicles are entering on roads of Dhaka city every day where road space covers only about six per cent of city area. At present, more than 0.32 million motor vehicles ply in Dhaka city alone. Moreover, overloaded, poorly maintained and very old trucks and mini-buses are also plying the city streets emitting smokes and gases.
In fact about 90 per cent of the vehicles that ply Dhaka's streets daily are faulty and emit smoke far exceeding the prescribed limit. Diesel vehicles emit black smoke, which contain unburned fine carbon particles.
Diesel-run vehicles account for more than 80 per cent of the air pollution in Dhaka as most of them fail to comply with the approved emission standard, said a recently published survey report.
Air pollution levels in Dhaka are considerably higher than Bangladeshi standards or World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines for residential areas.
According to a study of WHO, blood lead level above 10 g/dl (microgram per decilitre) is considered to be a case of lead poison.