HC wants to know measures to prevent air pollution in Dhaka
The High Court has directed the authorities concerned including the environment department to submit a report within the next week on the measures taken to prevent air pollution in Dhaka as per the instructions of the High Court in 2020.
The High Court bench of Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Mohammad Ali passed the order on Tuesday after hearing an application filed by the Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) seeking implementation of the nine-point directives issued by the High Court in 2020.
In 2020, the High Court issued the nine-point directives taking into cognizance a writ petition filed by HRPB.
The directives include covering the trucks carrying sand or soil within Dhaka city; covering the areas where construction work is in progress; sprinkling of water on the city roads and the construction and carpeting of the roads under mega projects and the works should be done in accordance with the law and following the terms and conditions of the contract.
"We filed an application on Monday seeking implementation of the court's instructions. On Tuesday, the court asked all parties including the DoE, and the city corporations to hear the application," the Lawyer of the petitioner Advocate Manzil Morshed said.
"The court said - instructions are being given again and again. You are not taking any steps to prevent air pollution. Do you want to harm us all?"
Manzil Morshed said that there are media reports for the past few days that Dhaka has the most polluted air in the world. Dhaka's position in air pollution is consistently remaining the same, which is a serious threat to public health. Until now Dhaka ranks top in air pollution, but no one cares. Health experts are regularly talking about this, he added.