Japanese Equipment to be Installed on Roads in Chattogram to Measure Transport Pollution

Japan-Bangladesh Agreement Signed

News Desk    |    ০৪:৫৯ পিএম, ২০২৫-০২-০৩

To measure the level of pollution caused by transportation, devices will be installed along the roads. The government will purchase these devices from Japan for over 75 million taka. The devices will be placed on various roads in Chattogram and Dhaka cities. On Monday (February 3), a 'Memorandum of Exchange' and a 'Grant Agreement' were signed between the governments of Bangladesh and Japan at the Economic Relations Division.

On behalf of the Bangladesh government, the Secretary of the Economic Relations Division, Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiqui, signed the 'Memorandum of Exchange' and 'Grant Agreement.' On behalf of the Japanese government, Japan's Ambassador to Bangladesh, Saida Shinichi, signed the 'Memorandum of Exchange,' and the Chief Representative of JICA in Dhaka, Ichiguchi Tomohide, signed the 'Grant Agreement.'

According to sources from the Department of Environment, this initiative falls under the "Project for the Improvement of Equipment for Air Pollution Monitoring." A total of 8 Japanese technology devices will be installed. Monitoring stations will be set up along roads in areas such as Uttara Housing, Banani, Rampura, Jatrabari, and Dhanmondi in the capital. In Chattogram, two stations will be installed on land owned by the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) and the Bangladesh Semiconductor Industry Association (BSIA). One of the stations will be mobile and will patrol areas with heavy traffic. These devices will provide 24-hour data on air quality and measure how much pollution transport is contributing to the two cities.

The Department of Environment explained that modern devices will provide continuous data, allowing the government to determine how much pollution transport is causing and what actions are needed to mitigate it. This information will help the government improve the transport sector and make it more modern. Japan is also interested in making large investments in the transport sector. After Japanese technology is installed in the 2025–26 fiscal year, these devices will operate for 10 years.

The total projected cost of the project is 1.0895 billion taka, with the government contributing 411.1 million taka and a Japanese grant of 678.4 million taka. The project is scheduled to run from March 2025 to June 2028. The main goal of this project is to monitor air quality along roadsides and assess the contribution of road transport-related pollution. Under the new project, roadside monitoring stations will be set up in two cities to determine air pollution levels from transport and take necessary steps to reduce pollution.

The devices will be imported from Japan. The project will also identify other sources of air pollution beyond transport, assess the adverse health effects of air pollution on humans, and devise strategies to address these challenges. The project's Development Project Proposal (DPP) has been approved by the Planning Commission’s Project Evaluation Committee (PEC), and it is expected to receive final approval at the upcoming Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting.

According to Mohammad Abdul Motalib, Deputy Director (Air Quality Management) of the Department of Environment, eight modern Japanese air pollution monitoring stations will be set up under the project. These devices will provide 24-hour air quality data, measure roadside pollution, and identify how much pollution is being caused by transport. The government will then formulate policies based on this data.