There is a massive change in the transport environment of urban areas in Bangladesh. The introduction and the subsequent build-up on the Dhaka Metro-Rail project is a significant step in solving a serious traffic and transport problem experienced in the Dhaka city. The metro means faster transportation, efficiency for millions of commuters and a modern experience in public transport. However, under these advantages there exists a less publicised, yet growing significant issue: high-density urban transit system effects on the health of the people.
The mass transit systems in the world are not just transport systems, but they also form environments where thousands of people communicate with each other in a limited space and within a very short time maintain safety measures. This renders them possible centers of the fast transmission of infectious diseases. As Bangladesh is shifting to more integrated transport system through metro, the health risks of overcrowded transit environments need to be taken into consideration and preventive public health strategies should be incorporated into transport planning.
The spread of infectious diseases by high-density transit networks has been proved to be possible by empirical studies held in the largest metro systems in Mumbai, Beijing, New York, etc. Airborne viruses, such as influenza and coronavirus-type pathogens, and some types of gastrointestinal infections have been documented to be transmitted with greater ease in large assembly areas. Studies reveal that the pathogens may last several hours in highly touched areas like the railings of hands, ticket machines, door handles, and seats. These surfaces may be disease reservoirs in a place where thousands of passengers go through every day. The risk is also further aggravated by peak-hour congestion. When commuters are tightly seated in the train carriage or on the station floors, there are high chances of airborne infection. This risk can be increased by poor ventilation or insufficient air movement in enclosed transportation settings, which will enable pathogens to remain longer in the air. These factors have been found to contribute to the high rate of seasonal respiratory illnesses in most of the cities.
In the case of Bangladesh, the difficulty might be even more as the level of urban mobility in Dhaka is massive and significant considering the different occasion. It is predicted that the Dhaka Metro-Rail project will accommodate hundreds of thousands of people every day, with new lines and stations being opened progressively. The periods of commuting are usually the periods when the passengers travel closely over long durations and thus tend to be exposed to the pathogens through the air or close contacts.
Also, behavioural factors are a contributing factor. There is inconsistent compliance with health and hygiene measures in densely populated areas by the population. Although the COVID-19 pandemic raised awareness on certain habits that include mask-wearing, hand hygiene, and physical distancing, most people have reverted to these practices. Even a slight violation of personal hygiene or prevention measures in an overcrowded transit system may greatly contribute to the spread of the disease. The other issue is the wider network of mobility that is provided by the metro systems. Transit hubs serve several areas and, in many cases, urban areas and suburbs. Although this connectivity is economically advantageous, it has also made diseases to rapidly across geographic boundaries. An outbreak of infection in a specific area in a congested metropolitan area has the potential to spread outside of the city using the transport network.
The COVID-19 pandemic provided valuable lessons of how transportation networks can intervene in the dynamics of diseases. In most of the major cities across the world, mobility patterns were very instrumental during the initial phases of the outbreak, which spurred the virus spread. These events demonstrate the need to determine disease surveillance and emergency response systems into urban transport systems.
Bangladesh can take the initiative of applying these lessons. The measures of prevention in the metro-rail system can play a contributing role in mitigating the threat of disease transmission. Routine and regular washing high touch surfaces of trains and stations should become a normal working condition. Placing hand-sanitiser stands at entry and exit, and ticket counters and platforms can motivate commuters to improve their hygiene. Another area that must be given serious consideration is ventilation systems. The concentration of air pathogens can be significantly decreased using modern air filtration and enhanced air flow around train compartments and stations. Sanitation audits every now and then and high levels of hygiene can assist in ensuring the measures are effective in the long run.
No less significant is public awareness. Communication messages that remind commuters of hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, and responsible travel etiquette during illness may be very vital in reducing the risk of transmission. Seasonal health warnings, especially when there is an outbreak of influenza or any other epidemic can persuade people to use masks and take other precautions during the most dangerous times. There will also be the need for institutional coordination. Proper presence of collaboration between the Ministry of Health, urban transport authorities, and the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) can assist in having an integrated health monitoring framework among the metro operations. This framework may comprise early warning systems, rapid response systems, and data-driven surveillance of the public health trends in terms of mobility patterns.
Transportation infrastructure in the cities is usually considered in terms of engineering and economic growth. Nonetheless, with the increasing level of interconnection and population density in cities, the concerns of health of the people should be centralised when constructing infrastructures.
The Dhaka Metro-Rail is a radical move in the direction of modernising urban movement in Bangladesh. Its success will not only be determined by its efficiency and reliability but also how it can work safely in the overall system of the health of the population. Combining the preventive health approaches today, policymakers can make sure that the promise of modern transit will not unintentionally establish new weaknesses. Metro-rail needs to be viewed as a triumph not only in transportation but also an important boundary of the protection of the health of people in future Bangladesh as well.
The recent initiative of the Bangladesh government to introduce a national health card system could also support stronger public health management in crowded urban environments such as metro transit. By creating a centralised record of citizens’ health information and improving access to healthcare services, the programme has the potential to enhance disease monitoring and early detection. In high-mobility settings like the Dhaka Metro-Rail, where thousands of commuters interact daily, such a system could help health authorities respond more quickly to emerging outbreaks and strengthen preventive health strategies. Integrating digital health initiatives like the health card with urban transport planning may therefore contribute to building a more resilient public health framework in Bangladesh.
The writer is a Protection Specialist & CEO, Favor Consultancy. Email: [email protected]
