[vc_row padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px” border=”none” style=”font-size: 1.5 em; font-weight: normal; “][vc_column width=”1/1″][gap size=”1.313em”][text_output]Being the capital of a developing country with rapid urbanization, Dhaka is experiencing frequent construction and reconstruction of various types throughout the year and all parts of the city. Road, flyover, and building construction are the most common. In most cases, due to poor maintenance of construction sites, dust production is high and it affects people who use nearby roads or that live and work in nearby buildings.
Dust from construction sites is one of the main sources of air pollution in Dhaka. According to Department of Environment (DoE), the airborne particulate matter is 463 micrograms per cubic meters (mcm) in the city during the dry season, which is the highest level in the world and 20 times more than the acceptable standard. A recent world bank report found that nearly 15,000 people die each year due to air pollution in Bangladesh, of which more than 50% are children.
In these pictures, a flyover construction is going on with a project duration of several years. Partial lengths of several roads and road-side communities have fallen victim to the dust. Immediate roadside buildings are commercial and residential mixed-use, and beyond that there are primarily residential buildings. Proper maintenance of the site and quick construction might be a partial solution yet to be addressed, but the compromise remains between urban development and the health of the urban population.[/text_output][gap size=”2em”][slider animation=”slide” slide_time=”5000″ slide_speed=”650″ prev_next_nav=”true” slideshow=”true”][slide][image src=”http://archiveglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/IMG_4101.jpg”][/slide][slide][image src=”http://archiveglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/IMG_4104.jpg”][/slide][slide][image src=”http://archiveglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/IMG_4099.jpg”][/slide][slide][image src=”http://archiveglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/IMG_4071.jpg”][/slide][slide][image src=”http://archiveglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/IMG_41041.jpg”][/slide][slide][image src=”http://archiveglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/IMG_4089.jpg”][/slide][slide][image src=”http://archiveglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/IMG_4059.jpg”][/slide][slide][image src=”http://archiveglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/IMG_40431.jpg”][/slide][/slider][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px” border=”none” style=”font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: normal;”][vc_column width=”1/3″][image type=”none” float=”none” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” src=”5741″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″ fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px”][line][text_output]Shajjad Hossain is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Architecture of BRAC University. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 2007 and a Masters in Human Settlement (MaHS) from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium in 2012. He has also worked as an architect in Binyash since 2008. Shajjad is a candidate member of the Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB), and is involved in ARCHIVE Global’s “Health from the Ground Up” Project in Savar, Bangladesh. Shajjad is a recipient of several national and international awards in design, writing, and research, particularly involving urbanization.[/text_output][/vc_column][/vc_row]