AMN / WEB DESK
Concentration of fine particulate matter such as soot and small dust (PM 2.5) in some of South Asia’s most densely populated and poor areas are up to 20 times higher than WHO standard of 5 microgram per cubic metre, says a World Bank report on air pollution released in Dhaka on Tuesday. It says South Asia is home to 9 of the world’s 10 cities with the worst air pollution, and Dhaka is one of them.
The report ‘Striving for Clean Air: Air Pollution and Public Health in South Asia’ says air pollution is responsible for about 20 percent of the total premature deaths in Bangladesh. In South Asia, it causes an estimated 2 million premature deaths each year and incurs significant economic costs.
Talking about the threat to public health caused by air pollution, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan Abdoulaye Seck said along with strong national actions, transboundary solutions will be important to curb air pollution. He said the World Bank is helping Bangladesh reduce air pollution through analytical work and new investments.
Highlighting the trans-boundary nature of air-pollution, World Bank Director for Regional Integration for South Asia Cecile Fruman said South Asian Countries in the same airshed-common geographical areas that share the same air quality-can reduce the alarming level of air pollution only if they take a coordinated approach. By working together countries can get results better, faster and cheaper.
The World Bank report recommends coordinated transboundary actions. It urges policy makers to go beyond focusing on power plants, large factories and transportation to include small manufacturing, agriculture, residential cooking, and waste management to reduce PM 2.5 concentration across South Asia.
The World Bank report points out that air pollution travels long distances, crossing national boundaries-and gets trapped in large ‘airsheds’ that are shaped by climatology and geography. The report identifies six major airsheds in South Asia where spatial interdependence in air quality is high. Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, share a common airshed that spans the Indo Gangetic Plain.
Particulate matter in each airshed comes from various sources and locations. For example, in many cities, such as Dhaka, Kathmandu, and Colombo, only one-third of the air pollution originates within the city. Recognizing the transboundary nature of air pollution, four South Asian nations-Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan-for the first time joined together to draw up the Kathmandu Roadmap for improving air quality in the Indo-Gangetic Plain and Himalayan Foothills, says the World Bank report.