The High Court on Sunday issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the authorities concerned should not be directed to take necessary steps to curb air pollution in Dhaka.
The HC bench of Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque and Justice Aynun Nahar Siddiqua issued the rule after hearing a writ petition.
Secretary to the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry, Director General of Department of Environment (DoE) and Chief executive officers of Dhaka South and North City corporations have been made respondent to the rule, which is returnable in four weeks.
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Advocate Manir Uddin stood for the petitioner.
Manir Uddin, a Supreme Court lawyer, sent a letter to the Director General of DoE seeking steps to take effective measures to curb air pollution in Dhaka.
According to the letter, it is said that Dhaka, the overcrowded capital city of Bangladesh, has topped the list of cities with the worst air quality with an AQI index of 288 on December 14, which was the worst in the past nine year.
As per the AQI Index, an AQI between 0-50 considered as good while 51-100 considers as moderate and AQI between 151 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy' while 201-300 is 'very unhealthy' and 301-400 is considered 'hazardous', posing severe health risks to residents.
A report published by the Department of Environment (DoE) and the World Bank in March 2019 pointed out that the three main sources of air pollution in Dhaka "are brick kilns, fumes from vehicles and dust from construction sites".
On February 19, last year, Dhaka topped 124 countries with an AQI index of 250.
Dhaka has been suffering from air pollution for a long time. If environmentally friendly measures are not taken to purify the city’s air, considering environmental factors, Dhaka may soon become an uninhabitable city.
In light of this concern, a request has been made to take appropriate actions in this regard.
However, due to the lack of necessary steps, a writ petition was filed with the High Court.