More dust due to construction works
Construction activities increase in Dhaka during winter as builders prefer the season with little or no rain. The construction and repair of buildings and roads and other infrastructure adds to air pollution and human suffering.
Presently the drain is being constructed on Mohkhali-Gulshan link road. “The dust menace increased from the day they started digging roads and making drains. We cough and our throat feels dry. Still, water sprinkling is not being done to reduce the dust. Maybe things will get better once the work is over,” said MD Alam, a roadside vendor.
Farzana Yasmin, who works in a private firm and is a regular walker in the neighbourhood, said the authorities were continuing with the construction work in an unplanned manner. “If you go from Amtali to Wireless Square, you will find the road dug up and mud and debris lying on one side. Those particles are always flying in the air. You can’t take off your mask and breathe easy.”
Road construction from Agargaon to Shyamoli is almost complete. The patients coming for treatment in the hospitals there and the employees of the government offices and the citizens had a lot of trouble due to the dust during the construction work.
Haider Ali of Thakurgaon has been staying at the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedic Rehabilitation for the last three months for the treatment of his brother who met with a road accident.
“There was a lot of dust when the road construction was in full swing. When we went out to eat at a nearby restaurant, the food felt sandy. The construction work is yet to be completed and hence the dust remains. It would be better if the authorities sprinkle water regularly.
Serajul Islam, a hardware store owner in Mirpur’s Kazipara, said he “almost died of asthma”. “While the Metro Rail construction continued, my business faced financial loss and I spent thousands for medical treatment; That too only for respiratory illness,” he said.
“Now the dust problem has reduced as the construction work is over. My shop is no longer covered with dust and I feel better too.
Many Dhaka residents said that the continuous construction of residential buildings adds to the air pollution. Ali Nawaz, a resident of Uttara, believes that his child was suffering from asthma due to the ongoing building construction work next to his house.
“Sand, bricks and cement required for house construction are kept in the open by the roadside. Those particles fly into my house. We need to sweep the house two to three times a day. The curtains turn white with dust. My 5-year-old child is already suffering from asthma.”
Traffic police, service providers are at risk
Members of the traffic police are highly affected by the air pollution in Dhaka. One of them, who works in Azimpur, said that when he works on the road, dust and pollutants fill the air, causing diseases like allergies. He said he had no option but to work.
“There is no end to our plight. We have to work standing for eight hours amid dust and pollution all around us. Sergeant Zahirul Islam, on duty at the airplane crossing point in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar traffic zone, said, “When I return home, there is a lot of dust on my clothes.”
“Many of our colleagues in the traffic department suffer from allergies and asthma during the winter season due to dust and pollution. I just can’t feel it and am just doing my duty. But the disclosure will come when I am old.”
“I need to visit the doctor regularly because I have asthma. Another colleague of mine uses an inhaler,’ said another traffic cop standing next to Zahirul.
Employees and employees of various service sectors have to suffer in the same way as the traffic police. Ikramul Hussain works as a delivery man in a food delivery company in Dhaka. “The roads are full of dust. You see, there is no visibility. We have to work in this environment. It is suffocating to ride a bicycle wearing a mask while delivering food. Also, I cannot remove the mask for fear of dust and pollution.