The Ekushey book fair, the largest book fair of Bangladesh, began in the Bangla Academy premises and Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka on February 2. Despite the book fair being an annual event, Bangla Academy has not fared well in ensuring a conducive environment for visitors. They complained of the extremely dusty environment.
The use of sand to make walkways through the fairground further contributed to the dusty environment. The oversight of the fair organisers on the issue of air pollution is particularly disconcerting given that air quality in the capital has remained a major concern in recent times. The organisers are reported not to have managed the waste and damage made to the park during the fair in the past. In 1984, a guideline for a smooth operation of the fair was worked out, but the guideline is more focused on managing publishers and addressing security concerns; environmental issues has not been the priority.
It is time the government in collaboration with the Bangla Academy and other related agencies reviewed the guidelines and addressed environmental concerns. The book fair that happens during the dry season attracts thousands of visitors every day. On the International Mother Tongue Day as well as other major events that are celebrated by the youth in the spring, turns the fair more crowded.
All these are known facts and the organisers should already have a system in place to tackle dust. Writer, publishers and visitors on a number of occasions took up the issue of dust control with the authorities. In response to public complaints, the Bangla Academy began sprinkling water on fair ground, but such moves create other problems and make the ground muddy for visitors to walk down through. The Bangla Academy has yet to come up with a working solution to the problem of dust.
The authorities must recognise uncontrolled dust in book fair that adds to the already declining air quality of the capital because of dust.
In the past week, Dhaka’s air pollution level exceeded the 300 mark on the Air Quality Index, which is labelled as ‘severely polluted’ and ‘hazardous’ for the entire population. In this context, all the authorities concerned must incorporate dust management into all their activities.
For any programmes sponsored or supported by the government, there should be a protocol in place that would ensure that the events organised are environmentally sensitive and have protection of the nature high on agenda if the events are organised in a playground or public space.
