Ambient air quality in dhaka bangladesh over two decades: Impacts of policy on air quality

Abstract

Samples of the fine and coarse fractions of airborne particulate matter (PM) were collected using a ‘Gent’ stacked filter unit in a semi-residential area of Dhaka, Bangladesh from December 1996 through September 2015. The site is located at the Atomic Energy Centre, Dhaka University Campus that is a relatively low traffic area. Many policies have been implemented during this period to clean the air of Dhaka. Among them, bans on leaded-gasoline and two-stroke engines were implemented, and a policy regarding green technology for brick burning is in progress. To observe the effects of the policy implementations, analyses were performed on this long-term (December 1996 to September 2015) data set of PM10, PM2.5, black carbon (BC), and lead (Pb). Annual average concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, BC, and Pb were computed. These long-term data show that the air quality of Dhaka has been stable over the past decade even though economic activity and the number of sources including passenger cars and brick kilns, are increasing.