Current Scenario of

Air Pollution in Bangladesh

Contributors

Joyee Chakma
Deputy Lead, Environment and Climate Change Network
Lamiya Sharmeen
Deputy Lead, Environment and Climate Change Network

Afsara Mirza
Lead, Environment and Climate Change Network
 Source of Air
Pollution Ideas on Introduction of New
Suggestion on Policy Reformation
(where its coming Policies
from)

1. Restriction on used car importation: not older

Construction sites and
than 4 years
traffic, mainly in in
2. Actions to expand, improve and promote public
Dhaka city 1. Incentives for using Fuel
transport and mass transit
powered vehicles
3. Actions to promote non-motorized transport
[Raza, W. A., Mahmud, 2. Subsidies for using clean
4. Vehicle emission limit
I., & Rabie, T. S. (2022, energy
5. Emission regulations for industries:
November 16). 3. Promotion of Cycling that
6. Small installation’s emissions regulated:
Breathing Heavy: New leads to building cycle lanes
7. Renewable energy investment promoted
Evidence on Air 4. More strict on regulation of
8. Energy efficiency incentives
Pollution and Health in driving license visas
9. Other actions at national, sub-national and / or
Bangladesh., p. xvi, 5. Mass media awareness and
local level to reduce industry emissions
The World Bank.] public education
(Air Quality Policies in Bangladesh, 2015)

Existing Policy: Environmental Conservation Rules

1997 regulates industrial emission; Brick
Manufacturing and Kiln Construction (Control) Act
Brick kilns sites (in 2013 has been enacted to reduce emissions from
brick kilns. 1. Use of filter and pressurize
rural Sylhet)
through legal framework the
Suggestions: use of filter before exposing
(Raza,Wameq Azfar
the fumes into the
Mahmud,Iffat 1. Monitoring and enforcement being carried out environment.
Rabie,Tamer Samah, by the Department of Environment to ensure 2. Subsidies for clean
2022, p. xvi.) regulatory compliance on a regular basis. production and installation of
2. Incentives for clean production and installation prevention technologies
of pollution prevention technologies

(Air Quality Policies in Bangladesh, 2015)

Burning of municipal Existing: Bangladesh Environment Conservation

and agricultural waste Act, 1995 and Environment Conservation Rules
1. Incentives for burning the
common 1997 broadly cover the issue of open burning.
fuel in open air without the
Suggestion: Creating awareness about harmful permission of the local ward
(Air Quality Policies in
Bangladesh, 2015) impacts of open burning.
(Air Quality Policies in Bangladesh, 2015)
 Source of Air
Pollution Ideas on Introduction of New
Suggestion on Policy Reformation
(where its coming Policies
from)

1. Emission regulations for industries:

2. Small installation’s emissions regulated:
3. Renewable energy investment promoted
1. Use of filter and making the
Cement and metal 4. Energy efficiency incentives
use of filter before exposing
melting 5. Other actions at national, sub-national and / or
the fumes into the
local level to reduce industry emissions
environment
(Air Quality Policies in 6. Incentives for clean production and installation
2. Subsidies for clean
Bangladesh, 2015) of pollution prevention technologies:
production and installation of
7. Actions to ensure compliance with regulations
prevention technologies
(Air Quality Policies in Bangladesh, 2015)

Existing Policies:
1. Mass media and public
89% households use education
1. Bangladesh Country Action Plan for Clean
solid fuel, mostly 2. Subsidies on cleaner cooking
Cookstoves to distribute cook stoves to 30
wood, agricultural fuels and stoves
million households by 2030.
wastes and cow dung 3. Promotion of non-grid / grid
2. Indoor air pollution is regulated by the
(99% in rural areas, electrification
Bangladesh Labor Act 2006 covering mostly
60% in urban) 4. Promotion of cleaner cooking
working conditions of a premise in general.
However, this Act does not stipulate any specific fuels and clean cook stoves
(Air Quality Policies in
standard of the pollutant.
Bangladesh, 2015) (Air Quality Policies in
Bangladesh, 2015)
(Air Quality Policies in Bangladesh, 2015)

1. Interventions regarding
cooking behavior and
The use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for
technology reform could help
Biomass Fuel: cooking is a strategy to reduce household air
drastically reduce pollution
Indoor air pollution is pollution (HAP) exposure and improve health.
levels. (Thornburg et al.,
mainly associated Liquid petroleum gas (LPG), a mixture of propane
2022)
with the use of and butane, burns efficiently and therefore emits
2. Natural gas and kerosene are
biomass fuels during less pollution than a traditional biomass stove.
significantly cleaner than
cooking with poor Ventilation, stove condition, time spent cooking,
biomass fuels hence usage of
ventilation. and other factors must also be studied to gain a
natural gas can be an option
comprehensive understanding of opportunities to
(Alam, 2009; to minimize air pollution
reduce HAP exposure.
Thornburg et al., from this source. (Dasgupta,
2022; UNEP, 2015) 2004)
(Thornburg et al., 2022)
3. Promote environment
friendly clean cookstoves.
 Source of Air
Pollution Ideas on Introduction of New
Suggestion on Policy Reformation
(where its coming Policies
from)

1. The development of the brick

sector in Bangladesh over the
next 20 years should aim at:
Burning of fossil fuel: moving from traditional
Air pollution mainly brick-making technologies
occurs due to burning (e.g. FCK) to cleaner ones (e.g.
of fossil fuels like coal, Traditional polluting technologies are relatively VSBK, HHK); diversifying
petroleum etc. and profitable for the entrepreneur. However, when the products that are less energy
associated black costs of air pollution and CO2 emissions are intensive; increasing the
smoke. Over 99% of factored in, they become undesirable for society. proportion of large scale
the brick kilns use Cleaner technologies stand out as the most socially enterprises with higher
fossil fuel but don’t profitable, with net returns of TK68-75 per capacity to adapt to cleaner
comply with the “Brick thousand bricks (Lelia & Maria, 2012). technologies. To achieve
Kiln Ordinance” and these goals, a summary of
pollute enormous air. Relocating brick kilns in a less populated area concrete recommendations is
(Alam, 2009; (Alam, 2009). Enforce the existing regulations and provided below. (World Bank,
Guttikunda, 2009) policies, such as the ban of traditional high 2010)
polluting kilns (e.g. FCK), particularly those located 2. Facilitate the availability of
Brick is the main close to large population centers (e.g. Dhaka), subsidized credit lines to
material for building upstream of the wind in the dry season, from account for reduced health
construction in Dhaka, November to April. (Lelia & Maria, 2012) impacts from pollution and of
a lot of brick fields other economic incentives
(which use coal as Replacing existing brick kilns with cleaner supporting the production of
main fuel and operate technologies would reduce the impact of brick new wall materials (e.g., via
only in winter due to pollution on premature mortality in Dhaka by 45 - specific funds and
meteorological 60 percent. (Lelia & Maria, 2012) preferential tax policies, as in
conditions) have China). (Lelia & Maria, 2012)
grown up around Introduce regulations and policies that encourage 3. Provide access to carbon
Dhaka, especially in adoption of cleaner technologies, such as revising markets, on account of the
the northwest and emissions standards for brick kilns under ECR97 to carbon emission reductions
southeast side of the make them technology independent and to provided by cleaner
city. These brick fields encourage brick diversification (e.g., perforated or technologies. (Kirch, 2008)
are major hollow bricks for partition walls). (Lelia & Maria, 4. Creating a reliable high
contributors to the 2012) quality region wide database
severe air pollution in that will enable government
winter in Dhaka (Azad air quality managers to make
& Kitada, 1998). informed decisions on
pollution abatement and
control strategies. (Begum et
al., 2013)
 Source of Air
Pollution Ideas on Introduction of New
Suggestion on Policy Reformation
(where its coming Policies
from)

1. ‘Win-win’ strategies must be

Industrial discharge: identified in order to strike a
Industries cause air balance between the
pollution through conflicting objectives of rapid
smoke emission. Agro industrial growth and
based industries like The industries might be given both technical and
environmental protection.
sugar, pulp, paper, financial support for introducing mitigation
Gradually switching to less
tanneries and value- measures, promoting green technologies, using
polluting but higher value-
added industries like less pollution technologies and recycling the waste.
added sectors like software
textile, garments, (Alam, 2009)
and information technology,
pharmaceutics, oil small/cottage industries
refineries, fertilizer Introduction of greener technologies and waste
producing export-oriented
and chemical energy recovery systems, provision of incentives
items and ecotourism and
industries are the for retrofitting, reduction of industrial processes
promoting environmentally
major contributors for responsible for ‘greenhouse’ gas emission,
friendly sectors. (Rasul et al.,
air pollution (Alam, relocation of obnoxious industries like tanneries
2006)
2009). which are located in densely populated areas,
2. An extensive energy audit by
identification and design of environmental norms,
the Ministry of Industry
It was found that the setting up quality standards and enforcement of
should be carried out for
food industry was the those to regulate industrial emissions. (Rasul et al.,
existing process industries in
worst air polluter and 2006)
Bangladesh to identify where
the integrated iron
and how energy conservation
and steel industry is Optimum use of energy and introduction of energy
and recovery measures
one of the largest recovery systems in process industries. The energy
should be incorporated in
sources of noxious recovery devices may be used for the optimal use
order to reduce industrial air
exhaust gasses (Rasul of energy in the processes, thus minimizing the
pollution. (Rasul et al., 2006;
et al., 2006). industrial air pollution. (Rasul et al., 2006)
UNEP, 2015)
3. Green banking refinance
Cement, brick By employing appropriate heat exchangers in the
scheme to provide soft loans
industry, unplanned processes by reducing energy consumption or
for industries using
construction acting recovering energy from the processes in which they
environmentally friendly
are the main sources are used. (Shah et al., 2000)
technology (to set up solar
of air pollution (UNEP,
panels, bio-gas plants and
2015).
industrial effluent treatment
plants under the scheme.
(UNEP, 2015)
 Source of Air
Pollution Ideas on Introduction of New
Suggestion on Policy Reformation
(where its coming Policies
from)

Emission from
vehicle: Transport is
widely recognized to Government must take
be a significant and necessary steps to remove sulfur
increasing source of content from diesel through the
air pollution hydro-desulphurization (HDS)
worldwide. (Colvile et process. The government must
al., 2001; UNEP, 2015) also force vehicle manufacturers
to install catalytic converters in
A major source of air
every vehicle to reduce vehicular
pollution in urban
emissions. (Alam, 2009)
areas of Bangladesh is
due to the unburned
The government might take
fuel from two stroke
The government has banned the import of leaded appropriate measures to
engine vehicles.
petrol, high sulfur diesel and high sulfur coal. The monitor emission limits and
Bangladesh Atomic
government has also encouraged using Market Based Incentives (MBI)
Energy Commission
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for automobiles. for reducing pollution control.
reports that
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has (Alam, 2009)
automobiles in Dhaka
restricted the registration on two stroke three
emit 100 kg lead, 3.5
wheelers .(Alam, 2009) Polluters' pay approach should
tons SPM, 1.5 tons
be introduced.
SO2, 14 tons HC and
60 tons CO every day.
Euro 1 for diesel driven vehicles
(Alam, 2009)
and Euro 2 for petrol driven
vehicles to reduce the number of
Emissions from
trips in vehicles, restriction on
various kinds of diesel
used car importation (not older
traffic vehicles and
than 4 years). (UNEP, 2015)
badly maintained
automobiles
Share a ride to work or use
contribute most to air
public transportation.
pollution problems.

(Azad & Kitada, 1998)

References
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Wair-quality-policies-bangladesh

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