What action has been taken to prevent Dhaka’s air pollution

Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Tuesday wanted to know from the concerned bodies of the government to inform it what steps have been taken in line with the earlier directives to reduce air pollution in Dhaka.
Department of environment (DoE), two city corporations in Dhaka and other respondents have been asked to comply with the order within February 5 this year.
The High Court Bench of Justice K M Kamrul Kader and Justice Mohammad Ali passed the order after hearing a petition filed by rights organisation Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB).
Lawyer Manzill Murshid appeared in the court hearing on behalf of the writ petitioner, while lawyer Amatul Karim represented the DoE.
Later Manzill Murshid said, “We filed a petition on Monday (January 30) with the High Court seeking its order for the implementation of the earlier directives. After hearing on the petition the High Court wanted to know the steps taken by the government bodies.”
Addressing the lawyer of the DoE, the High Court said, “We have to say again and again to implement the court directives. We are ashamed of ourselves for this. You will inform what steps have been taken to prevent air pollution on February 5 (Sunday).”
Following a writ petition the High Court on January 13 in 2020 issued a nine-point directive to bring down air pollution level in Dhaka.
It directed the government bodies to seize the vehicles plying on Dhaka city by way of emitting black smoke exceeding limit.
In its order, the court also directed the government to take steps to fix the economic life of different vehicles as per Section-36 of Road Transport Act-2018 and prohibit those vehicles having no economic life to run on the roads.
The court also directed the respondents to take appropriate steps in one month to stop burning of different tiers without having environment license and also to stop vehicle battery-recycling at any place without approval of the environment department.
It also directed the authorities of the two city corporations of Dhaka to take steps to ensure that all the market owners to keep their daily garbage in a safe bag and during closing down those will be dumped at a designated area.
It directed the respondents to spray water in the morning and evening in the area which has not been covered till today by the two city corporations and to ensure that all trucks plying on roads in Dhaka city with sand or mud or waste must use covering.
Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh filed the writ petition on January 27, 2019, seeking necessary order from the High Court to prevent air pollution.
Lawyer Manzill Murshid said, “Despite the court order, the authorities are not taking any steps to prevent air pollution. As a result, we placed another application seeking implementation of the court order. Hearing that, the court passed this order.”