Changes in national ambient air quality standards proposed [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Changes in national ambient air quality standards proposed

Local February 11, 2017

The Department of Environment has taken a plan to update the country’s ambient air quality standards to widen the area of enforcement.
DoE officials told New Age that the planned changes would remove the deficiencies on the way of enforcement in keeping with the needs of the time.
The standards set in 2005, they said, were proving inadequate since the sources of pollution increased and became more diverse.
DoE officials said that within the current month they would forward a proposal for updating the ambient air quality standards to the ministry of environment and forests seeking its approval.
The changes were designed to better address ever increasing air pollution in the country, they said.
If the proposed changes get approval from the government, ammonia pollution would be a punishable offence in Bangladesh for the first time.
Annually ammonia pollution in excess of 100 micrograms per cubic metre or 400 micrograms per cubic metre in 24 hours on average would be punishable offence under changes proposed by the DoE.
The permissible level of lead pollution would, under the standards proposed has been reduced to .15 micrograms per cubic meter of air annually on average from .5 micrograms.
The permissible standard of lead pollution set by the World Health Organization is .5 micrograms per cubic metre of air.
But the permissible standard of pollution by particulate matter2.5 would, under the proposed system, be reduced to 35 micrograms per cubic metre in 24 hours on average from 65 micrograms.
The WHO’s permissible standard for pollution by particulate matter2.5 is 25 micrograms per cubic meter of air in 24 hours.
But no changes in the standards of pollution by particulate matter10 has been proposed.
The DoE proposed to re-set the standard of pollution by sulphur dioxide at 85 micrograms per cubic metre of air in 24 hours on average down from 365 micrograms.
DoE official said, replying to a question, that the drastic change in the area of pollution by sulphur dioxide was needed as the previous standard was not fixed by the DoE.
The WHO, however set the permissible standard of pollution by sulphur dioxide at 20 micrograms per cubic meters of air in 24 hours.
DoE director (environmental clearance) Syed Nazmul Ahsan said that the permissible standard of pollution by ammonia had to be set in the country for the first time due to fertilizer and other factories releasing ammonia gas in the environment in massive scale.
Dhaka University’s Air Quality Research and Monitoring Centre’s associate sub project manager and chemistry department teacher Md Mominul Islam said any drastic policy change in permissible pollution standards require thorough discussions.
He said no foreign investor could be expected in the country if the permissible standards of pollution were set disregarding the standards of other countries.
He said that views of domestic as well as foreign investors must be taken before bringing any change in the permissible standards of pollution.
He said that pollution by particulate matters from brick kilns, unpaved roads and highways, gas emission from vehicles and construction sites were areas of great concern for Bangladesh.
DoE director (air quality management) Ziaul Haque said in 2005 the government set the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, also called Air Quality Index, in accordance with the Environmental Conservation Rules 1997.