The High Court yesterday expressed dissatisfaction at the Department of Environment for its failure to control pollution.

"The Department of Environment cannot play any effective role in stopping the pollution. Is there any necessity of this office? The rivers are polluted, air is polluted and the situation of Dhaka is worse and therefore, we are in a state of fear," the HC bench of Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Khizir Hayat Lizu said.

The bench made the remarks while hearing a petition moved by senior counsel Manzill Murshid on behalf of Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB).

In the petition, HRPB said licenses are reportedly being given through director of DoE (administration) to the owners of illegal brick kilns.

The organisation prayed to the HC to pass necessary directives to this effect.

The DoE cannot play any effective role in stopping the pollution. Is there any necessity of this office? The rivers are polluted, air is polluted and the situation of Dhaka is worse... therefore, we are in a state of fear.

Murshid told the HC bench that the DoE is playing role in the environment pollution by issuing licences to illegal brick kilns taking bribe. The DoE has not implemented the HC directives for stopping the pollution, he argued.

After the hearing, the HC ordered the Anti-Corruption Commission to conduct inquiry into the reported allegation against the DoE director and to submit its report to this court in two months.

Mentionable, Dhaka's air quality remained in the "unhealthy" zone yesterday.

With an air quality index (AQI) score of 175 at 9:06am, Dhaka ranked fifth on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.

India's Kolkata, Pakistan's Karachi and Lahore and India's Delhi occupied the first four spots on the list, with AQI scores of 240, 211, 183 and 179, respectively.