DHAKA, Sept 30, 2026: Dhaka WASA has pledged to ensure a smoke- and tobacco-free environment across all its offices, with emphasis on implementing relevant provisions of the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act, 2005, as amended in 2026.
A K A M Fazlul Haque, Deputy Managing Director (Human Resources and Administration) of Dhaka WASA, made the commitment while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion titled “Ensuring a Smoke and Tobacco Products Usage Free Environment in All Dhaka WASA Offices” at WASA Bhaban in the capital on Wednesday.
The meeting was jointly organized by Dhaka WASA and Development Organisation of the Rural Poor (DORP).
Fazlul Haque said Dhaka WASA would undertake continuous initiatives in coordination with relevant stakeholders to respond to the demand for smoke- and tobacco-free workplaces throughout the organization.
Zeba Afroza, coordinator of DORP’s Tobacco Control Project, presented the keynote paper at the event. She said tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke remain significant public health concerns in Bangladesh.
Citing the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2017, she said around 37.8 million adults in Bangladesh use tobacco products, while about 38.4 million adults are exposed to secondhand smoke in workplaces, public places and public transport.
According to the survey, 42.7 percent of adults were exposed to secondhand smoke in indoor workplaces, 44 percent on public transport and nearly 49 percent in restaurants.
Referring to a study published in The Lancet, Afroza said around 1.7 million people worldwide died from exposure to secondhand smoke in 2023. She stressed that protecting workplaces and public gathering spaces from secondhand smoke is therefore essential for public health.
She also said tobacco-related diseases and premature deaths place a substantial burden on Bangladesh’s health system and economy. Around 200,000 people die prematurely every year from tobacco-related diseases, while the economic cost of tobacco use—including healthcare expenditure and productivity losses—is estimated at around Tk 870 billion, she said.
Afroza expressed hope that Dhaka WASA’s initiative would encourage other public and private institutions to strengthen tobacco-control measures.
The meeting was chaired by Dhaka WASA Secretary Muhammad Abdul Hai Milton. Referring to the Prime Minister’s message on World No Tobacco Day 2026, he said the government had expressed its commitment to protecting children, adolescents and future generations from the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine.
He said the prohibition of smoking and tobacco use in public places and public transport forms part of that commitment.
Speakers at the meeting emphasized the need to raise awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco, strengthen Dhaka WASA’s institutional capacity for tobacco control and ensure coordinated action among relevant stakeholders.
They also stressed the importance of properly enforcing existing laws and regulations to create a healthy and tobacco-free workplace.
DORP representatives said coordinated initiatives would be taken to install public notices, warning signs and other relevant materials at Dhaka WASA offices. They said awareness activities would continue to promote a healthy, safe and tobacco-free working environment for employees.
Officials from different levels of Dhaka WASA and representatives of DORP attended the meeting.