Research Article
Real-time Air Quality Mapping and Its Implications on Air Pollution Management in Bangladesh
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 1, February 2025
Pages:
1-14
Received:
12 November 2024
Accepted:
13 December 2024
Published:
17 January 2025
DOI:
10.11648/j.ijema.20251301.11
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Abstract: This paper analyses the impact of recent developments of disruptive technologies in assessing air pollution, especially the real-time Air Quality (AQ) mapping at regional scale for Bangladesh. These technologies enable better delineation of local air pollution sources, as the local wind impact under suitable circumstances can strip away the contribution of transported air pollutants from long distance sources. The new understanding from disruptive technologies (i.e., real-time AQ maps and levels), can help reassessment of the existing data and better estimation of the contribution from local and pollutants transported from long distance. Such maps obviate the need for regional modelling using global data bases for air quality issues which provide static information and even the local emission inventory-based dispersion modelling can be dispensed with in some cases. The availability of the site-specific web-based AQ data provided by these new tools also reduces the need for the current practice of dense AQ monitoring (i.e., population-based physical monitoring stations). The potential application of the information available from the new technologies in Bangladesh is illustrated in this paper. The source apportionment studies for Dhaka so far, attributed the pollution due to coal burning in Brick kilns as 58 percent. These studies couldn’t assess the contribution of the transboundary pollution. An inventory-based dispersion modelling work concluded that the contribution of local brick kilns to the ambient air pollution due to coal burning in the kilns to be only 13.6 percent on yearly basis. With this data and evidence from real-time AQ maps, it can be deduced that a large percentage of the pollution due to coal burning is contributed by the transboundary sources. The paper also illustrates the relevance of some air quality management measures implemented by the Government in the light of the findings and concludes that the local measures for air pollution control may not have a major impact in reducing overall annual average levels of Particulate Matter (PM) in Dhaka or in the country. These measures however can reduce population exposure in local airsheds; for example, by reducing the pollution from the brick kilns near urban population centers and also reduction of local pollution exposure from large point sources. The paper also discusses the evidence on the emerging threats of potential severe air pollution (as observed in the real-time AQ maps) from new large coal fired power plants in Bangladesh.
Abstract: This paper analyses the impact of recent developments of disruptive technologies in assessing air pollution, especially the real-time Air Quality (AQ) mapping at regional scale for Bangladesh. These technologies enable better delineation of local air pollution sources, as the local wind impact under suitable circumstances can strip away the contrib...
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,
Iqbal Ahmed
