Dhaka's air pollution

• Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is the world's fastest growing megacity with as many as 400,000 new migrants arriving each year. It has a diverse economy, a high literacy rate and rapidly developing infrastructure.
• A lack of urban planning policies and interventions leads to social segregation, poor quality services and infrastructure. In 2020, Dhaka topped the list of cities with the worst atmospheric pollution. This is mainly caused by vehicle emissions and industrial practices.
• 90 per cent of the vehicles that ply Dhaka's streets daily are faulty and emit smoke far exceeding the prescribed limit. Industrial pollution comes from factories in and around the periphery of Dhaka, manufacturing products including textiles, fertilisers, pesticides and pharmaceuticals.
• According to a 2011 World Bank report, brick-making kilns account of about 40 per cent of Dhaka's fine-particle air pollution, causing 750 premature deaths a year. In 2010, the nation government ordered a shutdown of fixed-chimney kilns by June 2013.