Status of conventional fuel-powered road transportation in Dhaka city and its impacts on the environment
1. Introduction:
Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, has undergone rapid urbanization and population growth in recent decades. As a result, the city's road transportation system plays a vital role in connecting people and facilitating various aspects of daily life, including commerce, education, and essential services.
However, the increasing number of vehicles in Dhaka has led to traffic congestion and inadequate road capacity. Moreover, the prevalence of conventional fuel-powered vehicles, such as gasoline and diesel cars, has significant environmental impacts, including air pollution, health effects, noise pollution, oil dependency, and land use issues. This essay will explore the economic, environmental, and health costs of traffic congestion in Dhaka, as well as the efforts made by the government and private sectors to address these issues. Additionally, potential solutions and recommendations for sustainable transportation practices in Dhaka will be discussed, drawing inspiration from successful case studies in other cities around the world.
2. Status of conventional fuel-powered road transportation:
2.1. Current state of road transportation in Dhaka city:
In last few decades, Dhaka City has grown more in population. Road transport demand is skyrocketing due to rapid population growth, but supply can't keep up.. The main reason for the pressure of population on the road transportation in Dhaka city is that people are moving towards the city for the sake of livelihood and Since Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh, People Come here from different places.
 |
| Figure 1: Road network of Dhaka city. |
The number of vehicles is increasing day by day in Dhaka city but the road capacity is not increasing.
About 140,000 vehicles were added in 2017 including about 20,000 private cars. The recent road network of Dhaka city including the major roads, is shown in Figure 1.
2.2. Statistics on the number of vehicles:
 |
| Figure 2: Composition of registered vehicles in Dhaka City. |
2.3: The prevalence of conventional fuel powered vehicles like gasoline and diesel in Dhaka city:
Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh had a high prevalence of conventional fuel powered vehicles. Including gasoline and diesel cars. Most of the private Cars, microbuses, human haulers and inter-city buses have been converted to CNG (compressed Natural Gas). Diesel run trucks and major polluters in the city at nighttime. Here are the percentage of vehicles passed by Fuel in Dhaka city:
 |
| Figure: the percentage of vehicles passed by Fuel in Dhaka city. |
3. Conventional fuel powered road transportation impact on the environment in Dhaka city:
As time passes, the country is moving towards development and a rapid growth of urbanization created a negative impact on our environment by destructing the nature and natural ecosystem. Good transportation is the first step of development, and important sector of an urban area. In the urban area, a large number of vehicles moves per day. They use a large volume of fossil fuel. Burning these fuels in the chamber of vehicles, they produce a huge amount of CO₂, NOX, particulate matter and so on. So, here are the conventional fuel-powered road transportation impacts on the environment:
 |
| Figure 3: Dhaka's average AQI scores. |
3.1. Air pollution:
- CO2 Emissions: Combustion of fossil fuels in vehicles emits Carbon dioxide (CO2), contributing to global warming and climate change.
- NOX Emissions: Vehicles release Nitrogen Oxides (ND), which can lead to the formation of ground level Ozon, which is a major air pollutant.
- Particulate Matter (PM): Exhaust emissions contain fine particulate matter that can be harmful when inhaled.
3.2. Health effects:
Poor air quality due to vehicle emissions Can lead to Respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases, and other health issues for the residents of Dhaka.
3.3. Noise pollution:
Conventional vehicles are a significant source of noise pollution, leading to stress, sleep disturbances and decreased quality of life for urban dwellers.
3.4. Oil dependency:
3.5 Land use:
The widespread use of roads and parking Spaces for conventional vehicles contributes to urban sprawl, reducing green spaces, increasing impermeable surfaces.
4. Government and private policies and initiatives:
Dhaka is one of the busiest cities in the world with a whopping amount of traffic and an average speed of only 6.4km/h. Most of these vehicles use fossil fuels to run. According to a news portal THE
BUSINESS STANDARD, Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Taposh stated that fossil fuel burning is responsible for 80% pollution of the city. Due to the high pollutant potential of fossil fuels
the govt had already adapted some policies earlier and are still modifying them according to need.
 |
| Figure 4: Fuel Economy improvement |
Almost 28.3% vehicles registered in Dhaka city are gasoline or gasoline-natural gas driven private
vehicles. (sciencedirect.com)
Public transports like buses, minibuses and other heavy-duty vehicles like trucks run on diesel. Motorcycles use petrol, diesel and octane. These forms of fossil fuels contribute to millions of tons of
GHGs. The main culprit here is carbon emission. Hence, addressing carbon tax on fossil fuels was thought to be an effective strategy to control carbon emission. The Bangladesh Government aims to
implement a 5% carbon tax on fossil fuel prices by 2025, with a subsequent increase to 15% by 2041. (dailystar.net)
The govt has also imposed higher tax rate on buying private cars to discourage people and are planning to increase and improve public transport that will help in mitigating GHG emission.
Opting to electric vehicles is another great initiative that has already been taken by both govt and private sectors. Electric vehicles have very low or zero emissions which makes them environment friendly. Bangladesh govt has recently developed an automobile policy to make sure that 15% of all registered vehicles are electric by the year 2030. (thedailystar.net)
 | ||
|
We can already see a large number of electric automobiles and rickshaws on the streets of Dhaka as well as in other cities of the country. Walton has recently introduced their E-bike lineup and are working on electric city buses. 1 billion INR investment to establish EV manufacturing in Bangladesh has also been announced by Indian automaker, Omega Seiki.
5. Challenges and potential solutions in implementing sustainable transportation:
Implementing sustainable transportation solutions in Dhaka faces several challenges and barriers. Financial and economic challenges, such as the high costs associated with transitioning to sustainable
transportation systems, can hinder progress. Technological challenges, including the limited availability of charging infrastructure for EVs, need to be addressed. Social and cultural challenges, such as the preference for conventional vehicles2 and the need for public education and awareness, must be overcome. Institutional challenges, such as the coordination between different government agencies and private entities, need to be addressed to ensure effective implementation.
 |
| Figure 6: Govt's positive e-vehicles policy to counter emission and partnership for EV production |
Potential solutions to mitigate the negative environmental impacts of conventional fuel-powered road transportation proposes reducing the demand for transportation by promoting sustainable urban planning, investing in public transportation, encouraging flexible work arrangements, and developing shared mobility options. It also suggests improving the efficiency and emissions of vehicles by
investing in research and development of more fuel-efficient and low-emission vehicles, promoting the adoption of electric vehicles and alternative fuel vehicles and implementing emissions standards
and cleaner fuels.
6. Case studies:
This part includes examples of other cities or regions around the world that have successfully tackled similar transportation and environmental challenges and how these methods can be implied in Dhaka to improve the overall situation of the city. To begin with, Copenhagen, capital of Denmark, is considered as the cleanest place in the world.
 |
| Figure 7: Different mode of transport in Copenhagen |
Transports in the city include metro, bus, trains, taxies, private cars, cycle etc. To manage emissions from these transports the city has taken measurement. Such as:
- CO2 tax4 on fossil fuels which is approximately DKK5 175.3/ton C02.
- Energy tax6 on fuels were petrol, diesel, biofuels and natural gas are subject to energy taxes.
- Special allowances have been introduced for electric vehicles like tax relief on registration.
- In Denmark, to blend petrol and diesel with at least 5.75% biofuels has been made mandatory by the govt. The aim is to promote the use of renewable energy resources and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fuels in the transport sector.
- Public electric bus, electric trains are in operation throughout the city. (observatory)
 |
| Figure 8: The public transportation in developed countries is very reliable. |
Besides Copenhagen, other cities like Zurich, Tokiyo, Chicago, Shanghai, Dubai, Paris, Singapore are also leading the way in providing reliable, sustainable urban mobility networks that support the health and lifestyles. Their plans for maintaining such environment include adapting to renewable energy sources for driving transport, controlling fossil fuel-based vehicles and shifting to e-mobility8. (magazine)
Bangladesh can adapt some of these plans to improve the condition of the country’s capital as well as other large cities like Chittagong, Sylhet, Gazipur etc. For example,
- The govt has to strengthen its laws and regulations regarding the use of fossil fuels in transport sector.
- Both govt and private sectors should give-out incentives, discounts to encourage people to adapt to EVs.
- The countries situation at a temperate region gives it a huge opportunity of using solar energy.
- That can be used to generate electricity for EVs.
- Another huge opportunity is producing biogas. Bangladesh is an agriculture-based country. As a result, a large amount of agricultural waste is generated. These wastes can be used in biogas plants. And biogas can be a great fuel for transports as it has almost zero emission.
By large, the most important step is to create awareness among people. The overall environment will stay healthy only if people work hand in hand consciously.
7. Conclusion:
The impact of conventional fuel-powered road transportation in Dhaka is evident through the economic, environmental, and health costs associated with traffic congestion. However, efforts are being made by the government and private sectors to address these issues, including the promotion of electric vehicles and sustainable urban planning. Overcoming challenges and implementing sustainable transportation solutions will require a collaborative approach and the adoption of successful practices from other cities. By reducing the demand for transportation, improving vehicle efficiency and emissions, and transitioning to renewable energy sources, Dhaka can mitigate the negative impacts of conventional fuel-powered road transportation and create a more sustainable and livable city for its residents.
8.References:
dailystar.net, t. (n.d.).
magazine, E. (n.d.).
observatory, E. A. (n.d.).
sciencedirect.com. (n.d.).
thedailystar.net. (n.d.).
taxsummaries.pwc.com
doe.portal.gov.bd
www.bip.org.bd
businessinspection.com.bd
pt.slideshare.net
www.thegef.org
images.thedailystar.net
www.jamaicaobserver.com
nust.edu.pk
Muhammad Mahmood Hasan, Md. Ehsanul Haque, Mohammad Tosif Nur Zahin, M.M. Islam, Mohammad Ahsan Habib, M. Hasanuzzaman. "A Comparative Analysis of Energy Consumption and GHG Emission by the Private Vehicles of Different Fuel Types in Dhaka, Bangladesh" , Energy Nexus, 2023
www.adb.org
www.nyserda.ny.gov
123docz.net
journals.aau.dk
Comments
Post a Comment