Low-income slum dwellers take the hit of climate change more: Research

The air density of Dhaka’s two of the most marginalised low-income slums is four to five times higher above the permissible limit of Bangladesh for 24 hours. 

As a result, residents suffer from air pollution-induced diseases like laryngeal problems, asthma and bronchial problems. 

A study report published on Wednesday titled “Urban Localized Pollution in the Context of Climate Change” revealed such information during its virtual launching and discussion event, reads a press release.

According to the study report, the major source of indoor air pollution in both the marginalised areas are earthen stoves for cooking and using biomass as fuel. 

Women are the most severely affected by air pollution, as they are exposed to smoke for long stretches of time during cooking.   

The study was carried out in two large slums of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) namely Dholpur Citypolli slum and Dhaka Match Colony in Shyampur. 

It focused on four issues — water supply, sanitation, indoor air pollution and solid waste management. 

These low-income settlements are surrounded by many air polluting industries like steel mills, plastic factory, melamine factory, brick kiln etc.

The research was conducted under ‘The Featuring Green Earth Project’, which is jointly implemented by Plan International Bangladesh, Bangladesh Youth Environmental Initiative (BYEI) and Population Services and Training Center (PSTC). 

The project initiated the research in collaboration with the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URP), BUET and the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD). 

The study was carried out from December, 2020 to January, 2021 and followed a mixed methodology involving both qualitative and quantitative data. 

Professor Afsana Haque from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URP) of BUET and Sarder Shafiqul Alam, coordinator of ICCCAD shared the research findings in the event. 

Mentioning a study report of UNICEF, Afsana Haque said that there are around 4 million people dwelling in 5,000 slums. 

Where meeting the basic needs and services is a huge challenge for this population, climate change has made their reality more complex. 

Under this research, the Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS) of Stamford University Bangladesh tested water and air of the research areas. 

The air quality report of the CAPS team reveals that PM2.5 and PM10 are found four to five times higher above the permissible limit of Bangladesh standard for 24 hours, which is 116.96 µg/m3 and 164.71 µg/m3 in Dholpur and 83.96 µg/m3 and 155.50 µg/m3 in Dhaka Match Colony. 

According to the national guideline of Bangladesh, the standard is 2.5 µg/m3 and 10 µg/m3. 

The water test report of CAPS also reveals that the sample water is contaminated with foreign particles exceeding standard limits in both the study areas. 

They found E. Coli (seven or more) and ‘uncountable colonies of total coliform’ in the water. The Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5) and Chlorine concentration have been reported excessive in the study areas.

The residents of both the study areas have long been experiencing a number of water-related problems like the distant location of water sources, water scarcity and its poor quality. 

They also disclosed some health and socio-cultural problems associated with the water supply. In the study areas, water sources are both supply lines and deep tube wells. 

But the supply of water is for a limited time and often interrupted. Most of the women have to walk 5-10 minutes to collect water. They have to wait in queues and it takes one and a half hours to two hours to collect water. 

On average, the households pay Tk 400-500 per month for water but they do not get quality water.  

According to global standards, one family should have one sanitary toilet. According to the Bangladeshi government, households can either use “shared latrines” or “community latrines” subject to a maximum of two households (or 10 persons) for one latrine. 

However, in both the slums, the number of families sharing one toilet is far from the set Basic Minimum Service Level (BSML) in all aspects. 

On average, one toilet is shared by three to four families (15-20 persons). Due to poor sanitation facilities, privacy and safety of women are the major concerns stemmed from distant location, design and sharing of toilets, says the study report. 

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam addressed the virtual ceremony as the chief guest. 

In his speech, the Minister said that the per capita income of Bangladesh has increased. 

“By 2030, we will become a middle-income country. Challenges coming up due to such achievements need to addressed and necessary steps need to be taken,” he said. 

Mentioning raising awareness as the prime need, he said that awareness needs to be ensured at every stage of society. Community-led initiatives should be encouraged. The government, non-government and private sectors must come together and work collaboratively to address the challenges related to waste management, water supply, water and air pollution. 

Tazul Islam further said that the decision of how many people can live in the city should be made first. Along with this, policy initiatives need to be ensured. 

The living standard of rural areas has to be increased as well as creating more job opportunities. This might be difficult but this is a pressing need. 

Different services charge for all class of people needs to be determined based on their capacity following equity. Recycling and reusing waste materials have to be done with proper maintenance for planned waste management. The government is already working for producing electricity by waste. 

Taking part in the discussion, Ismail Hossain, Mst Parvin and Rimu, three of the residents of Dhalpur and Dhaka Match Colony, expressed the challenges they face in their daily lives. 

They shared the existing challenges in their community regarding water supply, sanitation, air pollution and waste management as well as the impacts on their lives and livelihood.  

The event was chaired by BUET Vice-Chancellor Professor Satya Prasad Majumder and moderated by PSTC Executive Director Dr Noor Mohammad. 

Project Director of RAJUK Ashraful Islam, Country Director of WaterAid Bangladesh Ms Hasin Jahan, Chief Executive Officer of DSCC Farid Ahmed and BUET Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Abdul Jabbar Khan were present among the panellists. 

Director-Programme Management and Implementation of Plan International Bangladesh Afroz Mahal, Project Manager of Plan International Bangladesh Manik Kumar Saha, Director of ICCCAD Professor Saleemul Huq and Professor and Head of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URP) of BUET Md Musleh Uddin Hasan were also present. 

Professor Saleemul Huq said that due to climate change, urbanisation is increasing in Bangladesh. 

“There is no single solution to the complex challenge. We have to look for multi-dimensional solutions and move forward. Research studies can play a crucial role in this regard,” he said. 

Ms Afroz Mahal said that Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is one of the fastest-growing megacities of the world. It is estimated that by the end of this decade, 44 percent of the national population would be urban and most of them will be living in Dhaka. 

Most of these internal migrants often ended up in the marginalised low-income areas with inadequate basic services like safe drinking water, hygienic sanitation facilities, proper waste management, safe and healthy dwelling unit with light and ventilation. 

Even where the services are available, quality, affordability and reliability are not maintained up to the standard. The problems will be exacerbated due to impending climate change impacts.

The researchers also felt the aspiration of the youth to work for a sustainable environment for a better future. The young generation of these vulnerable communities can be turned into resourceful assets with proper education, training and motivation. 

By bridging the gap among the policy-makers, investors, researchers and local people, it will be possible to attain global, national and local goals. 

Manik Saha said that Plan International Bangladesh, Bangladesh Youth Environmental Initiative (BYEI) and Population Services and Training Center (PSTC) are jointly implementing ‘The Featuring Green Earth Project’ since 2018 in marginalized areas of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC). 

The project mobilises a robust environmental activist movement by establishing Earth Clubs in several of Dhaka's most marginalized areas.