On 7 february 2014, Work for a Better Bangladesh (WBB) Trust, thirteen environment and social organisations organised the gathering in front of the National Press Club.
Bangladesh Poribesh Andalan secretary general Md Abdul Matin said that recently the Yale University and Columbia University jointly published the Global Environmental Index 2014, which revealed that, among 178 countries of the world, Bangladesh ranked 169. The rankings took into consideration indicators like health impact, air quality, water and sanitation, water resources, agriculture, forests, fisheries, biodiversity and habitat.
He said it is very unfortunate that Bangladesh ranked 178 in air quality and urged the government to take strong action to check the country’s alarming air pollution levels.
Matin said unfit and age old vehicles, traditional brick kilns, dust from roads and construction sites, are causing air pollution. He demanded introduction of Hybrid Hoffman and Zigzag kiln, instead of traditional brick kiln, to reduce smoke and ensure environment-friendly brick production.
Sundor Jibon chairman M Sirajul Islam Molla said there are two major causes of air pollution- vehicular emission and industrial emission. Of the two, vehicular emission is a major cause of respiratory disease in urban Bangladesh, he said.
BAPA executive committee member M Shahidul Islam and Mahbub Hossain, Work for better Bangladesh trust national advocacy officer Marufur Rahman, also spoke at the gathering.