ABSTRACT

Dhaka is the capital of overpopulated country, Bangladesh. It is a major commercial,

cultural and manufacturing centre with a population of about 9 million. As population is
increasing very fast in the Dhaka city, the population of vehicle is also increasing. As a
result it is creating air pollution. his paper is all about air pollution by vehicle in Dhaka
city and government policy. !irst part of this paper discuss about the current situation of
the air pollution in Dhaka city and health impact of air pollution. "econd part is all about
the recently taken projects of BD #overnment to reduce air pollution and further policy
recommendation and a conclusion.
$eywords% BD #overnment, air pollution, vehicle population.
&
Introduction
Dhaka is the capital city of Bangladesh. It is a major commercial, cultural and
manufacturing centre with a population of about 9 million. It is facing a major serious
problem of air pollution, as it is e'panding by all the way. he transport sector is a major
contributor to air pollution in Dhaka. (otor vehicle pollution stems from the use of
leaded gasoline, the lack of efficient catalytic converters, high sulphur in diesel, and the
large number of high polluting vehicles, impure fuels, inefficient land use and overall
poor traffic management )$arim, &99*+. he increasing numbers of two,stroke engines
)auto,rickshaw, auto,tempos and motorcycles+ which emit most of the black smoke are a
major concern for the public.
he main pollutants of concern are carbon mono'ide )-.+, hydrocarbons )/-+, and
photochemical o'idants )e.g., o0one, nitrogen o'ides+, suspended particulate matter,
sulphur dio'ide and lead from the transport sector )1ano, &992+. A report by the 3orld
Bank indicates that concentration of suspended particulate matter and airborne lead are
higher than the Bangladeshi ambient air 4uality standard and even higher than the 3/.
guidelines.
A study by Bangladesh Atomic 5nergy -ommission revealed that the concentration of
lead in certain parts of Dhaka is way above the 3/. recommended standard. Dhaka6s
-hildren /ospital identified presence of lead in the blood as an important cause of
growth retardation of the children among the poorer section of the city )1ano, &992+.he
3orld Bank says Bangladesh could avoid &7,thousand deaths and save up to 822 million
dollars a year if air pollution in four major cities was reduced to acceptable limits. 9aul
(artin, an environmental specialist at the bank:s Dhaka office, says the major disease in
Bangladesh is acute respiratory infections caused mainly by polluted air.
!irst part of this paper discuss about the current situation of the air pollution in Dhaka
city and health impact of air pollution. "econd part is all about the recently taken projects
of BD #overnment to reduce air pollution and further policy recommendation and a
conclusion.
;
PART 1:
Air Pollution in Dhaka City
he main source of air pollution in the cities of developing countries , like Bangladesh ,
are vehicles, manufacturing industry, construction sector , domestic activity , and natural
sources. Interestingly, Dhaka seems to enjoy two distinct advantages in terms of air
pollution. !irst, its vehicular traffic has rickshaw, which is totally pollution free. "econd,
natural gas is used, in most cases, as fuel for domestic as well as commercial cooking.
Among the remaining sources, vehicular pollution seems to have drawn ma'imum
attention. (ost of the vehicles in Dhaka city, due to old age and ill maintenance, black
smoke and discharge large amount of pollutant in the atmosphere. 5specially those with
two,stroke engines have come under severe criticism from the government agencies and
the civil society. It is alleged that these engines, after incomplete combustion of fuel,
discharge gases containing high concentration of pollution into the air.
he Bangladesh Atomic 5nergy -ommission measured &<.=>g?m of lead in ambient air
in Dhaka over the period @ovember &997 to Aanuary &99=)1ano,&992+.3orld /ealth
.rgani0ation )3/.+ guideline)&year average+ for lead in air is 2.7&>g?m.
able&% Bangladesh ambient air 4uality
B
Besides government information, there are several independent researcher Cs data
available from the mid to late &9926s on -. monitoring , daily average @.; concentration
in selected urban intersections of Dhaka ,9(&2 and 9(;..7 measurements )$arim,
;22&+.these data are listed in able; and compared with local and international ambient
air 4uality standard. All measured data e'ceed Bangladeshi and international standards.
able;% Ambient pollutants level in Dhaka compared with various standars
Impact of Air Pollution

/igh level of air pollution causes serious damage to health is a well,known phenomenon.
Dong term espouser to air pollution can lead to premature death by increasing the rate at
which lung tissues ages, by contributing to chronic obstructive lung disease
)1ano,&992+.severe air pollution is threatening human health and economic growth in
Dhaka. .stro)&99<+ and Eie et al.)&998+ estimated that Dhaka encounters B,782
premature deaths ,&2 million restricted activity days and 8* million respiratory symptom
days per annum.
he economic loss associated with these health problems could range from a low
estimate of F"G=2 million to a high estimate of F"G;*2 million e4uivalent to &.* to *.7
per cent of the city6s gross product. If added with traffic jams ,global warming ,soliding
<
of materials ,and aesthetic degradation ,the total cost of air pollution would be
substantially larger )Eie etal.,&998+
-ombustion of leaded gasoline is the main source of lead e'posure in Dhaka, resulting in
ubi4uitous contamination of the environment. In !ebruary ;22, $aiser et al. );22&+
evaluated children at five primary schools in Dhaka was in order to determine blood lead
)B9b+ levels , sources of environmental e'posure ,and potential risk factors for lead
poising . (ost of the surveyed children )8.<H+ had B9b levels above the -entre for
Disease -ontrol and prevention6s level of concern )&2>g?dD+.
PART2:
BD Govrnmnt Policy to rducin! air pollution
in ;222 world bank approved a project to reduce air pollution in major city of
Bangladesh. It was approved by the board on Auly, ;222. his project objective is to
manage and count the ambient standard of air pollution in Dhaka city.
According to this project , first the government has given emphasis on the best possible
of environmental friendly fuel -@# in transport sectors. As such government has
liberali0ed and e4ually opened the scopes for the participation of private sector besides
public sectors. he use of -@# in all types of road and riverine transports including
locomotives replacing motor spirit and diesel will be commerciali0ed. @o duty, sales ta'
or surcharge will be levied on e4uipments imported for compression and refueling of
natural gas and for conversion of vehicles. Docal as well as foreign private capital will be
encouraged to invest in all phases of -@# business.
he strategy for the development of -@# as transportation fuels are%
Banning of diesel buses and trucks in cities roads with a rigid cut off date
o convert e'isting petrol vehicles to -@# by establishment of sufficient number
of conversion workshop by 9ublic?9rivate "ector in all the major cities
o install and operate ade4uate number of -@# refueling station by 9ublic and
9rivate "ector in the major cities and the connecting highways
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"et up emission standard for -@# vehicles
5limination of two,stroke baby ta'i
5ncourage introduction of -@# dedicated buses and four,stroke Baby a'is
through reduction of duty.
(onitor -@# converted vehicles closely to ensure 4uality of emission and to
ensure pollution control
o introduce appropriate regulatory frame,work for more systematic monitoring,
closer control and regulation. )(eanwhile, #.B has already introduced ga0etted
the guideline and procedure for establishment of -@# refueling station and
conversion workshop+.
As bad fuel causing damage to the air , Bangladesh government had taken some others
like banning the straight natural fuel .#overnment increased the ta' on recondition car
and banned more than ;2 years old car to use as vehicle in Dhaka city. o reduce the
consumption burden of the people, government reduces the ta' on new imported car. But
it6s also impacting on the people, as new imported car are more costly. .nly upper class
people are getting access to buy the brand new model car.
#overnment also takes step to reduce sale of straight mineral oil without using any ;
oil. A notification, approved by the (inistry of 5nergy and (ineral Iesources and issued
by the Bangladesh 9etroleum -orporation, was published on Aanuary &B, ;22&. he
notification, e'plicitly setting as its objective mitigating smoke emissions from vehicles,
prohibited production, blending, import, and marketing of straight mineral oil without
additives, and set as minimal standards for lubricants for two,stroke engine vehicles
AA". !B or A9I -. In addition, it set as minimal standards for lubricants to be used in
four,stroke engine vehicles A9I "-.
his notification has officially made it illegal to knowingly sell straight mineral oil to
baby,ta'i drivers. /owever, the sale of lubricants in loose containers, such as jugs used to
sell lubricants to baby,ta'i drivers, is not prohibited, so that monitoring becomes
especially important if compliance with these regulations is to be achieved.
=
In order to implement and enforce the 4uality standards for ; oil, the first condition that
must be met is wide availability of ; oil. 54ually important is the cooperation of filling
station owners and attendants. he information collected in this 5"(A9,funded program
showed that, as of ;222, it was actually difficult for baby,ta'i drivers to purchase
gasoline without the addition of straight mineral oil.
.n the other side government is increasing the use of -@# instead of fuel oil, because
-@# is more environmental friendly. #overnment subsidies the -@# and on the other
hand reduces the level of subsidies for fuel oil. As a result four wheeler car and other
vehicles user converted their vehicle fuel system into -@#. Iecently study is going on
what are the results of introducing -@# and modified oil.
Conclu"ion
Iecently studies are going on to find out the outcomes of the policy. But it must be sure
that the result will be better than before. "till pollution level is high because gas emitted
from the brick fields is high. (inistry of environment had taken some further steps to
reduce the gas emission from the brick field. It is true that air 4uality is still in risk
because of people unaware about the maintenance or servicing their vehicle to reduce air
pollution. (ost of the vehicle in Dhaka city are not serviced or checked routinely. "o the
engine system and piston get dust as a result it reduces the 4uality of engine and emit
more gases. #overnment has to increase awareness or subsidies the sector to increase
people contribution to clean the air of Dhaka city.
*
APP#$DI%1
8
APP#$DI%2
API SC Oil standard
&AS' (B $ind of lubricant
2T $ind of oil
C$G Compressed Natural Gas
Bi)lio!raphy
(ajor decision on Jehicular 5mission, (instry of forestry and environment ,Bangladesh
government.
.stro, Bart )&99<+. Khe /ealth 5ffects of Air pollution% A (ethod of an Application
AakartaL. 3orld Bank 3orking 9aper "eries @o.&B2&
"chwart0 A. and D. Dockery )&99;b+, .Increased (ortality in 9hiladelphia Associated
3ith Daily Air 9ollution -oncentrations. American Ieview of Iespiratory Disease,
Jol. &<7, pp. =22,=2<.
Eie, Aian, -. A. Brandon and A. A. "hah.)&998+. .!ighting Frban ransport Air 9ollution
for Docal and #lobal #ood % he -ase of wo,"troke 5ngine hree ,3heelers in
Dhaka.. 9resented at the Integrated Approach to Jehicular Air pollution in Dhaka
-onsultative (eeting, Bangladesh, April ;=,;*, &998
1ano, 5., 1. 1okoyama, /. /agashi, ". @ishii, $. (aeda, A. $oi0umi )&992+, . /ealth
5ffects of Jolcanic Ash% A Iepeat "tudy,. Archives of 5nvironmental /ealth, <7, B=*,
*B.
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