Contaminated air an ominous sign for humankind

M A Hossain,

As a father, I always had this effusive wish to frolic in an open meadow in Dhaka, accompanied by my 8-year-old daughter; in the same gleeful manner that my father did, a few decades ago. I still can vividly remember that after a long run with my father, the exertion would always be soothed, when we used to sit on the grass, under a tree perhaps, and would be invigorated in a matter of minutes. Alas! It is an impossibility nowadays to find such a green meadow in Dhaka, which is befitting to accommodate a father and his 8-year-old daughter. Especially when our daughters are beginning to grow multifarious respiratory diseases due to inhaling the dreadfully hazardous air of this crowded city. 

According to"Air Visual"- an international atmosphere observatory organisation, Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh is the worst air polluted city in the world. A report from"the state of global air-2019" – related to global hazardous air pollution has ranked Bangladesh as the top five countries in terms of hazardous air polluted nations. Collectively, we are exhibiting a self-deprecating oblivion towards the destruction of our posterity, as well as being apocalyptical to our future generations. This might well be the most preposterously concerted infanticide, which we so blithely are inflicting upon our future generation due to environmental degradation.

World Health Organisation(WHO) has reported that 90% of our population is affected by hazardous air pollution. Air Pollution impacts everyone's health, but children bear the maximum brunt of it. The University of California, the UC DAVIS, Environmental Health Science Center have conducted a study on the bio specimen and fire effects, which revealed that air pollution alters the size of a child's developing brain which may ultimately increase the risk for cognitive and emotional problems. Unfortunately, children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution, especially during their age of development. Higher air pollution increases respiratory infections and develops asthma. Children exposed to hazardous air pollution are more likely to develop bronchitis, lung damage and irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat. Urban children are also facing the issue of neuron behavioural disorders. Needless to say, that the Air Pollution is gradually incapacitating the generation to come, both mentally and physically. 

The drasticity of the effects of Air Pollution are not only confined to the children, the adults are also encountering the ghastly after-effect of breathing in this perilous air of Dhaka. It presents a threat to respiratory health and cardiovascular disease, obesity, reproductive, neurological and immune system disorders comes as an inevitable corollary. Air Pollution also affects memory and Alzheimer's-like brain declines. A person, exposed to longtime air pollution, invariably is posed with the threat of cancer, pneumonia, allergy, skin disease, headache, dizziness etc. Various researches suggest that our average lifetime can be reduced up to almost 3 years for indoor and outdoor air pollution. It has also been suggested that air pollution reduces our lifespan much more gravely than the active and passive smoking combined. According to the standard of WHO, Bangladesh is the top-ranking environmental health-hazardous country along with India, Pakistan, China. Besides, Dhaka has been listed as the second-worst air polluted city, with Kolkata and Lahore securing the first and third position.

Our environmental degradation has increased manyfold over the last several decades. Vehicular emissions, unplanned rapid industrialization and urbanisation are the main catalysts of air pollution. It creates the excessive presence of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide in the air, which adversely affects the ozone layer, livestock, and agricultural products. Acid rain, climate changes are directly attributable to air pollution. In Bangladesh, there are four main reasons behind the air pollution—emissions from old-fashioned brick kilns and unfit vehicles, corruption in the Department of Environment and dust from construction sites.

Researchers have recently unveiled that 15% of the death of COVID-19 patients is caused by air pollution globally. A report from 'State of Global Air-2019' stated that air pollution is the 4th leading cause behind human death globally. More than 6 million lives were lost globally due to air pollution in 2019. Among those, Bangladesh has lost 173 thousand, the number is as dreadful as it sounds. According to research by UNICEF, a total of 300 million children are living in hazardous air polluted-prone areas. Unfortunately, this research also found that 220 million affected children are from South Asia. Every year, 6 hundred thousand infants, below 5, are losing their lives due to air pollution around the world.

My heart was bleeding while writing this article, and I was almost on the verge of a breakdown, when I was delving into the reports of all those Air Pollution related researches. WHO's chief, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called air pollution a "silent public health emergency". As a father, I desperately urge all policymakers, as well as the fathers of this city, to process the design of a powerful tool of environmental and health protection. Our ruling party has made us optimistic by uplifting the image of Bangladesh in various global agendas like self-sufficiency, refugee crisis, living standards, health and economy index etc. So, in terms of air pollution, it will not be overly panglossian to aspire that our Government would take an effective air quality control strategy of governance, policy, monitoring, and enforcement to save our future generation. I take this opportunity to beseech every reader, who sets his eyes on this Article, to give the highest priority to unearth the panacea to control and manage Air Pollution of this otherwise beautiful city of ours, for the sake of those who mean the most to us. As was said by our national poet, Kazi Nazrul Islam 'Rokto jhorate parina to eka, tai likhey jai ei rokto lekha (I can't shed blood alone, so I write these bloody writings)".

This article has published at:

1. The New Nation, Bangladesh :26Jan22

2. The Independent, Bangladesh:27Jan22

The Geopolitical Dynamics of the Asia- Pacific region in 2022.

M A Hossain,

The paradigm shift in the geopolitical dynamics in the Asia Pacific is in the offing since President Biden assumed the Office. The Biden Administration took an apparent deviation from his predecessor- Trump's foreign policy, so far this Region is concerned. Donald Trump withdrew the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) treaty, which left the region open to Chinese dominance and Beijing took the opportunity to a full extent and exceedingly established its influence on Asia—Pacific. However, for now, Mr. Biden's emphasis on Democratic values and human rights as a security strategy, by reviving its leadership position in the Asia- Pacific theatre, is going to make a polarized world and may galvanise a shadow Cold- War 2.0.

The Biden administration is strengthening its alliances, especially the EU, and concentrating more on the Asia-Pacific region than his predecessor. During Donald Trump's presidency, the détente in the US-Russia relations raised the eyebrows of a number of US policymakers and allies. As a result, Trump was indicted by the congressional Committee on the accusation of Russia's meddling in his presidential election. But Mr. Biden has recalibrated the Washington—Moscow relationship. The US-led NATO military alliances are stoking tensions near Moscow's border. The West accosted Russia on the issue of forceful subjugation of Rule of Law and its opposition leader. Russia also retaliates with military-technical measures in both the EU's neighbourhoods (Eastern and Southern), through the gas pipelines and refugees being used as means of exerting pressure, which is understandably having an unnerving impact on the energy and migration sector.

In 2022, the world appears to be on the verge of re-orientating its long-held policy towards the US-China polarisation. The cash-rich Chinese announcement of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has disrupted and unsettled the US traditional Asian allies. Chairman Xi's policy of 'deep pocket' for his neighbours made proselytisation of US loyalists towards Chinese pull in Asia-Pacific. Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia have gravitated towards China's orbit of influence which will jolt the geopolitical orientation of ASEAN nations. In Asia, China is investing approx 100 billion USD annually. China-backed North Korea's Sabre rattling makes US allies - Japan and South Korea concerned. China warned the Western Leaders on the issue of Taiwan and threatened not to 'play with fire'. The situation is increasingly deteriorating in the South China Sea, Korean Peninsula, the opening up of Arctic routes and trade wars. Thus, China is gradually becoming more assertive and is beginning to challenge the leadership of global power.

In 2022, the World's eyes will be on the US and its western allies; more specifically as to how they polarise the Asian states towards its orbit of influence. We experienced this political polarisation by the US during the Cold War and after WW-ll. US efforts to align Asia-Pacific countries are reflected by the 2021 trips of the US secretaries of State and Defence to this region. China's BRI is countered by the US initiatives to revive Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad)- a strategic security dialogue between the US, Australia, Japan, and India and another strategic security pact within Australia, United Kingdom and US (AUKUS). The most important events in 2021 were the G-7 Summit, NATO Summit and Summit for democracy. The future threats from China and Russia were clearly spelled out by the US-led Western leaders in those Summits. Their rivals are also reverberating equally in every region. As a result, an ominous trepidation of another Cold War is looming over the horizon.

In the Indo-Pacific region, China has severe economic, political and military influences. Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh are pursuing various multi-billion-dollars Infrastructural development projects funded by China. These South Asian States have billion-dollars military deals with China. So, Quad is a strategic posture for US presence in this region to curb and countermeasure China's influence. China exposed political rifts with India by border skirmishes or growing threats to India's "chicken neck". President Biden seeks to build a strategic framework to counter the growing influence of China in this region. Recent punitive actions by the US against Bangladesh and Myanmar are devised in the Indo-Pacific strategy against China and inducement for geopolitical polarisation. Meanwhile, China is expanding the horizons of its global influence in Africa and Latin America. 

The Covid-19 pandemic is widening the chasm and pre-existing discontent for vaccine diplomacy.  We will see the initiative of forming broader strategic alliances, more political destabilisation attempts in Vassal states. Future unpredictable technological and arms trade competition could revolutionise defence, cooperation, and economy among State to State, The Asian states are going to watch a confrontation between development and Rule of Law, That is why, the economic, political and military alliances may no longer follow the same trajectory as before. At this moment, this region offers China an edge over America, but one thing is for sure, things will never be the same as we are going to enter 'The Age of Uncertainty'.

The article published at:

1. The Independent, Bangladesh,12Jan22

2. Modern Ghana, Ghana :14Jan22

3. Kashmir Watch, EU: 14Jan,22

4. Review Nepal, Kathmandu, 14Jan22

5. South Asia Journal, NJ,USA:19Jan22

India turns cruel face on Muslims and non-Hindus!

M  A Hossain,

None of the major political parties in India, be it Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) or Indian National Congress  (INC) are considering Muslim or non-Hindu voters as significant anymore. During the Rajya Sabha election in Gujrat, BJP and INC leaders, including Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi refrained from even going to Muslim voters, which constitute ten percent of the total votes, seeking their support. Instead Muslims are compelled living in those areas under suffocating offensive odor of garbage- day and night. No one seems to show minimum sympathy to their extreme sufferings. 

Both BJP and INC believes, the days of giving importance to Muslim voters is already over. Instead, Indian political parties are putting more focus and importance to Hindu voters. With this agenda in mind, BJP made pledges during 2014 Lok Sabha election of expelling over four million Bangla-speaking Muslims from the north-eastern states.

BJP claims, these Bangla-speaking Muslims are not Indian nationals. Instead, they are intruders from neighbouring Bangladsh. According to a Agartala-based journalist, the 'real' number of intruders from Bangladesh would cross over seven million. She believes, Narendra Modi would very certainly 'drive away' these 'illegal immigrants' much before the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal and her Trinamool Congress are opposing Modi's agenda of expelling Bangla-speaking Muslims. Mamata or her party's voice are largely insignificant in the 1.20 billion Hindu population's India.

This article also published at:

1.Ghananews24.com
2.Modern Ghana, Ghana :03April 2018
3.globoble.com
4.pressbox.co.uk
5. sunnyfmgh.com
6.South China Morning Post:05April 2018