'Breathing Dhaka' project launched in Agargaon to monitor air quality in underserved communities

An 18-month research initiative called 'Breathing Dhaka' has been launched to strengthen air pollution monitoring among Dhaka's underserved communities and ensure reliable air quality information for the public. Its full title is 'Breathing Dhaka: Open Hyperlocal PM2.5 Monitoring and Evidence-Based Air Quality Policy for Dhaka's Underserved Communities'.

The project is being implemented by the Obhijatri Foundation with technical support from the Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS). It is funded under the 'Air Quality Fund 2026' of the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago in the United States.

The project's inception meeting was held on Tuesday (November 3, 2026) at the Department of Environment's Paribesh Bhaban in Agargaon, Dhaka. The chief guest was the department's Director General Dr Md Lutfar Rahman, and the special guest was Professor Dr A.T.M. Nurul Amin, emeritus professor in the Urban Environmental Management field of the Department of Development and Sustainability. The meeting was chaired by the department's Deputy Director Farid Ahmed.

In his speech, Dr Md Lutfar Rahman highlighted the importance of strengthening air quality monitoring to tackle Dhaka's growing air pollution. He expressed hope that integrated initiatives like 'Breathing Dhaka' would supply the information and evidence needed for effective steps in air pollution management and play an important role in improving Dhaka's air quality.

Obhijatri Foundation President Ahmed Imtiaz Jami presented the project's objectives, implementation strategy and expected results. CAPS Chairman and the project's technical lead, Professor Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, presented its technical framework, monitoring methods and implementation plan.

Ahmed Imtiaz Jami said the Obhijatri Foundation has long worked with underserved communities, who are comparatively more at risk from environmental pollution and its health harms. Through this project, he said, they want to collect air quality data at community level and make it easily accessible, while working in coordination with government institutions, research organisations and development partners. In his view, reliable information, public awareness, people's participation and behavioural change are among the foundations of building healthy and resilient communities.

Dr Mohammad Abdul Motaleb, deputy director of the Department of Environment's air quality management wing, stressed proper calibration of equipment, post-collection data validation and local community involvement to ensure the project's scientific reliability and effective implementation. He also emphasised behavioural-change activities alongside technological initiatives to fight air pollution.

Special guest Professor Dr A.T.M. Nurul Amin stressed linking scientific research with practical action. He said collecting data scientifically is extremely important, but meaningful research should not be limited to observation alone; local communities must be involved and scientifically gathered data must be turned into effective policy to ensure long-term positive change.