Environment pollution in Bangladesh

What is Environment? First, let's discuss the environment. The environment is related to the natural world and the impact of human activities on its condition.

Now What about environmental pollution? Well, the contamination of the natural environment causes adverse change. The population can be any form of substance or energy. 

Environmental pollution started with mankind's civilizations. Actually, it is the by-product of today's civilizations. The more mankind has focused on civilizations, the more pollution occurred. And the sad truth is it is happening all over the world but especially in most developed countries. Bangladesh’s situation is more prone in the case of a country like Bangladesh. Today environmental pollution has become the most dangerous enemy of mankind.18th and 19th’s industrial revolutions pushed humankind cause more environmental pollution. Here we will discuss environmental pollution in Bangladesh.

Now let's talk about different types of environmental pollution in Bangladesh. 

1. Air pollution

2. Water pollution

3. Noise pollution 

Air pollution

Air pollution is a major environmental health risk affecting the people of Bangladesh. Bangladesh's air pollution is caused by the country's growing population and associated motorization.  The primary sources of outdoor air pollution are industrial emissions and automobiles. Air pollution occurs in more or less different places in Bangladesh. But among them, air pollution in Dhaka is the most serious condition. 

Dhaka is not only the largest city in the country but also the ninth-largest city in the world. It is also the sixth most populous city in the world, with just under 9 million people living within its borders. Almost With a density of 23,234 people per square kilometer, people live in Dhaka.  The number of cars has been rising in Dhaka city at a pace of at least 10% to 20% per year, which has been a factor in both traffic congestion and air pollution.

According to a report Dhaka is among the most poisonous city in the world. Almost more than 30,000 people from Dhaka city died because of Air pollution. In Dhaka city air there is a large quality of sulfur oxides

volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides. This causes a serious hazard to health. Dhaka had an annual average PM2.5 reading of 83.3 g/m3, putting it in the 'unhealthy' category of air quality in 2019.

Now the question may rise why is so much air pollution in Dhaka city?

Some factors are:-

• massive uses of cars, motorbikes, trucks, and other vehicles 

• Emission from Vehicles

• A large number of brick kilns around the Dhaka city

• Burning of tons of coal, wood, and any other combustible material for industry and power generation

• Deforestation at a max level. Human clearing of forested land for their own.

• land degradation. Turning them into Industrial plots or house plots.

Water pollution

Water pollution is the contamination of water that usually occurs through human activities. Water can be polluted in various sources of water including lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater. This source of water is called Water bodies.

So how water is polluted?

As Bangladesh is an agriculture dependant country, first comes to mind farmer uses fertilizer and pesticides on their land for farming purpose. But these fertilizers and pesticides use cause great water pollution.

Water contamination is due to fertilizer and pesticides used in agricultural land to run off farmland during the rainy season. 

In a normal sense, water can be easily polluted when different substances are mixed with water. 

When Municipal waste, hospital waste, and toxic environmental discharges from primarily industrial sources pollute both surface and groundwater sources the contamination occurs by itself. The dumping of plastic waste into the river and seawater is highly polluted.

Arsenic contamination of groundwater is the most dangerous threat posed by environmental degradation. The majority of people in Bangladesh rely on groundwater as their primary source of drinking water. Arsenic has contaminated the water in many areas of Bangladesh. From a medical standpoint, the acceptable level of arsenic in drinking water in Bangladesh is around 0.05mg/liter, but in a few places, it is more than 70 times higher.

In Bangladesh, different types of industries are the main reason for water pollution. Most of the industries in Bangladesh discharge their chemical industrial waste directly into the river. As a result, the rivers are getting contaminated. 

Pharmaceuticals, metal processing, food fertilizer, pesticides, Pulp and paper, dyeing and printing, textiles, and other industries are major sources of contamination. 

Water gets mostly polluted by households. The situation has deteriorated further in the absence of sanitation and infrastructure services. Untreated sewage is frequently discharged in low-lying areas and rivers, posing serious health risks.

Noise pollution

The spread of sound or noise can have a variety of negative effects on human or animal activities, most of which are somewhat detrimental. This phenomenon is known as noise pollution or sound pollution. 

Noise pollution is a very common thing we face every day in our daily life. We face this whenever we go outside of our homes. Machines, transportation, and propagation systems are the main global sources of outdoor noise.

Source: Freepik

Human beings usually hear 15 to 20 kilohertz (KHz) frequency sounds. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), generally, 60 dB of sound can make a man deaf temporarily and 100 dB of sound can cause complete deafness. 

The current noise levels in Dhaka are estimated to be between 60 and 100 decibels. If the current trend continues, 50% of Dhaka residents will lose 30 decibels of hearing power by 2023.

The most common sound pollution occurs by car bus motorbike on Dhaka street. The sound of vehicles produces 95 dB, different festivals every day around Dhaka city produce 85 to 90 dB, loudspeakers 90 to 100 dB, and mills and factories produce 80 to 90 dB which is quite unbearable for healthy people

Causes of sound pollution

The harmful aspects of noise pollution are very serious. If sound pollution continues for a long time, beyond a certain point, noise pollution damages hearing and may even cause someone to lose their sense of balance. Additionally, noise pollution harms the lungs, impairs children's brains, and makes them uninterested in their schoolwork.

Health risks are associated with noise pollution. However, not much has been done in Bangladesh to date to lessen noise pollution. The authority must raise public awareness so that, in the long term, noise pollution can be eliminated from Bangladesh.

That's all for today. Suggest to me if there any mistake or any things could be improved. Thank you. {Ajmain Sourov}