Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury on Monday said that multiple factors are contributing to the continuation of air pollution in the country, and combined efforts in the battle against air pollution are necessary.

“Air pollution is a silent killer. The Ministry has formulated rules to identify and tackle indoor and outdoor air pollution, and an all-government approach with active engagement of all stakeholders is the way forward,” he said.

To underscore the importance of enforcing evidence-based solutions to improve air quality, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Shakti Foundation jointly organized a policy dialogue titled "Save Your Breath: Policy Dialogue on Clean Air Imperatives" at Hotel Sheraton on Monday, where the Minister spoke as the chief guest.

“The point of having everyone on board is not just the government and its ministries - positive change happens when people realise the importance of the change. To battle air pollution, we need to adopt behavioural change at the mass level,” Saber Hossain Chowdhury said.

The event, organized as part of the observation of World Environment Day, was contributed by the US Embassy Dhaka and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) as strategic partners, bringing together decision-makers, researchers, and other stakeholders.

Alongside the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister, the event was joined by several special guests for the sessions including Md Atiqul Islam, Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), and Änjali Kaur, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Asia Bureau, USAID.

On Monday at The Sheraton, an insightful presentation on “Dhaka’s Air Quality Landscape” was delivered by Dhaka University Department of Chemistry Professor Dr Abdus Salam. Following the presentation, the first of the two-part dialogue session, “Catalyzing Clean Air: Research to Actionable Insights,” was moderated by Shakti Foundation Deputy Executive Director Imran Ahmed.

“USAID is working in Bangladesh and across the South Asia region to address the root causes of this problem and scale up cleaner, greener, and more affordable sources of energy. Harnessing sources like hydropower, solar, and wind can help reduce the carbon footprint by eight percent by 2040 and create new job opportunities,” said Änjali Kaur in the first session.

The second session, “Managing Air Quality: Solutions Across Sectors,” was moderated by Nahim Razzak, MP, Convener of the Bangladesh Climate Parliament.

DNCC Mayor Md Atiqul Islam made the following air quality improvement declarations: “Enforce canopies or covers are used at construction sites to prevent dust from contaminating the surrounding air; ensure appropriate covers on transport vehicles carrying materials that disseminate fine particles; ban unfit vehicles that generate black exhaust smoke; eliminate informal leaf and waste burning; and block illegal sewage lines to lakes and canals.”

This daylong event was attended by prominent individuals from both domestic and foreign organizations, highlighting the importance of collaborative efforts in addressing air quality challenges.