Spatiotemporal patterns in air pollution and sound in Dhaka, Bangladesh
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
High air pollution and sound in Dhaka pose major health risks, yet limited high-resolution data prevents epidemiologic assessments and interventions. We measured fine particulate matter
(PM₂.₅), black carbon (BC), and sound (dBA) at 70 locations across Dhaka during the 2023 dry (Jan–Mar) and wet (Jul–Sep) seasons, with continuous monitoring at 8 fixed sites and short-term sampling at 62 rotating sites (3 days/season). Over 1.7 million minutes of PM2.5 and 1.2 million minutes of sound were collected, enabling detailed spatial (land use features) and temporal (seasonal, weekly, daily, and diurnal) analyses. Air pollution was four times higher in the dry season, with commercial/industrial areas and transportation corridors having the highest levels, particularly at night. Sound levels varied less temporally, and were highest in transportation corridors, mixed-use areas, and commercial hubs. Air pollution and sound across the city exceeded international guidelines. These findings provide critical evidence to inform targeted policy and interventions.
(PM₂.₅), black carbon (BC), and sound (dBA) at 70 locations across Dhaka during the 2023 dry (Jan–Mar) and wet (Jul–Sep) seasons, with continuous monitoring at 8 fixed sites and short-term sampling at 62 rotating sites (3 days/season). Over 1.7 million minutes of PM2.5 and 1.2 million minutes of sound were collected, enabling detailed spatial (land use features) and temporal (seasonal, weekly, daily, and diurnal) analyses. Air pollution was four times higher in the dry season, with commercial/industrial areas and transportation corridors having the highest levels, particularly at night. Sound levels varied less temporally, and were highest in transportation corridors, mixed-use areas, and commercial hubs. Air pollution and sound across the city exceeded international guidelines. These findings provide critical evidence to inform targeted policy and interventions.
Date Issued
2025-09-25
Date Acceptance
2025-07-21
Citation
Scientific Reports, 2025, 15
ISSN
2045-2322
Publisher
Nature Portfolio
Journal / Book Title
Scientific Reports
Volume
15
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
10.1038/s41598-025-12815-9
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN 32852