Air pollution leads to GDP loss in Bangladesh, says World Bank study

Bangladesh must check environmental degradation, particularly in the urban areas and become climate resilient to achieve an upper-middle income status, the World Bank says in a new analysis.

The preliminary findings of the report ‘Country Environment Assessment for Bangladesh’ discussed at a workshop on Sunday say that the country is losing 1 percent GDP every year due to air pollution.

Noncompliant industries and inadequate waste management of hazardous and nonhazardous materials are polluting the cities’ air as well as surface and ground water.

For one tonne of fabric, the dyeing and finishing factories discharge 200 tonnes of wastewater to rivers leading to health hazards in the capital’s poorer neighbourhood.

“When growth comes at the cost of environment, it cannot sustain. The good news is that we have seen it is possible to grow cleaner and greener without growing slower,” said Zahid Hussain, World Bank acting country director for Bangladesh.

The draft report focused on four areas: cost of environmental degradation, urban wetlands, cleaner technologies, and institutions. As the country is rapidly urbanising, the analysis suggests that it needs to manage the urbanisation and industrialisation process in an environmentally sustainable way.

To enforce environment policies, the government must strengthen the institutions and regulatory framework. It should provide incentives to industries to adopt green and clean technologies and should enforce polluter’s pay principle.

Due to unplanned development, unabated pollution is affecting both the big and small cities. For example, in Dhaka, around 600,000 residents are exposed to lead contamination, which can lead to IQ loss and neurological damage, especially among children.

The cities also suffer from waterlogging due to heavy rainfall. They are vulnerable to floods due to wetland encroachments and lack of waste management systems.

For instance, Pabna has lost nearly half of its wetlands since 1990. Now it faces prolonged waterlogging.

Climate change further aggravates industrial pollution as some industrial belts are exposed to sea level rise. Climate change will likely to reduce agricultural productivity, increase malnutrition, and decrease water availability in many areas.

Environment Minister Anwar Hossain Manju delivered the keynote speech.

The policymakers, government officials, environmentalists, urban planners, and civil society representatives were present and discussed the findings of the draft, which will be launched in early next year.