Poor air quality: Indifference takes a heavy toll

While the severity of Bangladesh's air pollution is no longer surprising, a new study provides a grim new picture of its damage. The latest Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) 2025 update found that this invisible menace is robbing every citizen of 5.5 years of life expectancy today. In the capital Dhaka, the figure rises to an almost unthinkable 6.9 years, meaning compliance with WHO guidelines would grant Dhaka residents nearly seven additional years of life. In Chittagong, the second-largest city, the loss is more than six years. To put this into perspective, air pollution is now the single greatest external threat to human life in the country, surpassing the combined toll of tobacco use, malnutrition and unsafe water. Life is already too short, but the fact that the very air people must breathe to survive is what cuts it short constitutes a tragic irony. 

According to the AQLI study, every one of Bangladesh's 166.8 million people lives in an area where particulate pollution levels exceed both national and WHO standards. Even districts traditionally deemed less polluted are now suffering from dangerously high particulate concentrations. In Lalmonirhat, for example, levels are seven times higher than the WHO guideline. The problem is worsening over time, with the study showing that particulate pollution has risen by more than 66 per cent since 1998, cutting life expectancy by an additional 2.4 years. Much of this increase stems from human activity that produces airborne particulates with little regulation. In cities and towns across the country, construction projects of all sizes operate with blatant disregard for public health, blanketing neighbourhoods in dust. Added to this are vehicular emissions, factory discharges, power plants burning high-sulphur fuel and the widespread use of brick kilns. These combined sources of pollution have, over decades, degraded air quality to such dangerous levels that it has become a persistent public health crisis. Notably, the impact extends far beyond mortality, as long-term exposure inflicts severe non-fatal health consequences. It is closely linked to cardiovascular diseases, chronic asthma, pulmonary insufficiency and developmental harm in children who are especially vulnerable during critical growth phases.

The question is, how long will the government continue to treat this public health menace with indifference? Despite the scale of this crisis, little has been done to control it. Although the Department of Environment has rules to address such activities, enforcement remains weak and selective. This failure must end. Consistent and impartial enforcement of existing laws is essential and must target large developers and industrial polluters with equal vigour. Action is also required on the roads through stricter vehicular emission standards, alongside firm deadlines for removing unfit vehicles. On construction sites, dust-control measures have to be mandatory and backed by heavy penalties for violations. Urban planning should also integrate more green spaces, allowing vegetation to serve as natural air filters in crowded cities.

Crucially, Bangladesh's struggle cannot be seen in isolation, as South Asia remains the most polluted region in the world. This is hardly surprising given the intense population density and the transboundary nature of polluted air which routinely drifts across borders and worsens conditions in many cities. Such realities make regional cooperation indispensable. Bangladesh must therefore complement domestic measures with joint efforts alongside its neighbours to address transboundary emissions. At the same time, the urgency of the crisis demands that the government treat clean air as the foremost public health priority because this is the most urgent and vital intervention the country can pursue.