Environmental Pollution and Bangladesh

Everything around and above us makes our environment. It comprises soils, tree, forests, hills, water, air, human, beings, animals, birds and other small living things, etc. All maintain ecological balance. Healthy and fine environment is essential for the existence of all living things. But the balance is seriously disturbed because of human activities chiefly. And environmental pollution now-a days is growing into a global problem. Developed and developing countries are very much concerned about it. So is NUO. Environmental imbalance occurs in two ways - natural process and human activities. We have nothing to do with natural occurrences like earthquakes, sea salt spray, forest fire and volcano. It is true, of course, that technological at the present time may help us to check them.

The following are the contaminated areas we can do many things. Air is polluted by poisonous gases which emit from the industries, water borne transports and road transports. We import lead mixed fuel, our old engines cannot exhaust fuel properly. According to environment Ministry (2001) air pollution causes 1500 deaths and loss of about $15000 every year. And our children are the most vulnerable group of air pollution including the lead pollution. Many of our vehicles and brick fields give out black smock which contain CFC, carbon dioxide and other harmful gases. It is largely controlled in the capital but the brick field owners are not following the directives to use coal instead of wood. Industrial revolution, which caused the world to move faster towards industrialization, has not been an unmixed blessing. More industries need more land, produced more smoke and more wastes which in turn contaminate air and water more and more. Nuclear explosion/tests/warfare pollute the air as well. developed and developing countries have come forward to tackle the problem. USA and other developed countries signed NPT (Non proliferation Treaty) and CTBT (Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty), though some have not yet signed them. As the developed and industrialized countries are polluting the environment it is incumbent upon them to take urgent steps to ensure a pollution free world. The countries are aware that from 1995, 16th September is being observed as the Industrial Ozone Day to raise global awareness on the importance of ozone layer and its depletion. The ozone layer protects us from the harmful effects of solar ultra violet (UB) rays. Ozone depletion caused by substances - CFCs which affect adversely plant and animal life and may cause cancer, eye damage and suppression of immune system in human body. Ozone depletion substances are largely produced by developed countries. Montreal Protocol 1987 initiated though the UNO Environment Program which controls ozone depletion substances and also regulates its use in Bangladesh. Moreover, we know that the world is faced with problems like Greenhouse Effect, Lnino, and Lalina climate pattern taking shape in the Pacific raises "the prospect Atlantic hurricane season and strong monsoons in Asia (UNO Weather Agency, July, 2007). Global warming is due to Greenhouse effect. The increase of carbon dioxide gas which contributes almost half of the global warming, sulfur dioxide gas and CFC in the environment cause the GHGS. It is feared that temperature will increase 3-4% over 50 years. Then, the low land will be under water by melting icecap. It is also apprehended that the low lying areas of Bangladesh and the whole of Maldives will be submerged by 50 years. It is estimated (2007) that about 7 lakh people of developing countries and 2 thousand Bangladeshis will die every year.

This kind of environmental pollution can be avoided by using the filters in the industries and in the vehicles. The filters away the unwanted and harmful particles. Industrial laws should be made for all factories and industries. Plying of transports, road or water borne is needed to be checked and strictly controlled by the Government. Wide spread plantation of trees in the country is the best way of keeping the air pure and healthy. We may use natural power like wind, water, sunlight and heat. We have to make windmill, water turbine, solar cell, solar ponds to keep air free from pollution. Government is planning to convert all petrol driven vehicles into CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) driven. It is also endeavoring to halt the use of two stroke engines as per call of the World Bank to check urban air pollution. Air quality monitoring stations, a common practice in many countries including India will be set up to control air pollution from two stroke engines and diesel driven heavy transports. And CFC free technology introduced in our industries and factories particularly in pharmaceutical and arosal producing plants has reduced remarkably the use of CFC substances.

Water pollution is the second sphere. it is being made impure besides bad smell, by excreta from near the river or ponds and unfixed places where bowls are cleared. Such wastes from water borne transports make water dirty. Chemical, poisonous or nuclear wastes or wastes from industries and tanneries too pollute water. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides used by farmers are washed away by rainfall and floods over the fields, into the rivers, canals and ponds cause water and soil contamination. Arsenic poisoning is polluting the underground water. It causes skin pigmentation, destruction of bones and teeth. Chemicals and oils from ship hamper the normal living and growth of fishes in the water. We should use surface water in place of ground water. Kachcha latrines should be replaced by pakka ones far away from water. Arrangement is necessry to remove toxic wastes in a planned way. Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) reduced, to a great extent, the discharge of pollutants by strong surveillance and continuous drive.

The CPA also penalized till 2002 fifty foreign vessels for air and water pollution in Chittagong port. And industries on the banks of rivers like Karnaphuli, the Buriganga, the Sitalakkhya, polluting the river- waters with their huge quantity of industrial wastes should set up affluent treatment plant to keep river waters free from contamination. Govt's directives must be enforced strictly as only 20% (2007) of 40,000 industries & factories on the banks of Karnaphuly have followed the directives. The High Court ordered (2009) the demarcation of four rivers the Sitalakhya, the Buriganga, the Turag and the Balu surrounding the capital by setting up pillars demolition of all illegal structures and removal of dirt dumped by 31 May 2010. Govt's survey accordingly identified 5165 grabbers, 14041 structures causing poor navigation and unabated pollution.

Soil pollution is the next very dangerous happening. For it affects adversely food and plantation. In-discriminant use of chemical fertilizers, and pesticides makes our land lose its normal fertility. Radiation from them is transferred to man animals eating food and grass from the fields. Farmers need to find a use for biogas or green fertilizers like cow dung and other decomposed plants. The minimum utilization of them is avoided and industries on the banks or rivers like Karnaphuli, Buriganga, Sitalakhya pollution the river - waqters with there huge quantity of industrial wastes should set up effluent treatment plant to keep river waters free from contamination. govt's directives must be enforced strictly as only 20% (2007) of 40,000 industries and factories on the banks of Karnophuli have followed the directives.

Slums, garbage and filth contaminate soil and ground water too. Plants cannot take easily their food nutrient when polyethene or plastic is put under the soil. Production of such, synthetic materials is necessary to be regulated. Recently it is almost entirely controlled in the capital. And jute may be used for such products. Plan removal of garbage and rehabilitation of slum.

There is another situation that is needed to be under control. The use of high pitch horns of bus, truck and other vehicles, of loud speakers by the shopkeepers, canvassers or in meetings and rallies, the sound from the reckless movements of heavy transports, from the industries, construction works, cassette players demonstrate the heavy pressure to the hearing of the city dwellers and their living condition in urban areas. Experts hold the view that the tolerable limit of human being for sound is 45 decibel. So it calls for regulation. The withdrawal of two-stroke auto rickshaw in the capital from January 2003 has decreased slightly noise pollution. Still other sources of noise pollution are very much annoying. A study of early 2004, reveals that 97% of school students in the city cannot concentrate fully on their studies.

Our attention is required for taking urgent measures in respect of population, urbanization and deforestation. Owing to large world population say about 600 crore there are much urbanization, industrialization, etc. Deforestation and desertification are among many consequences which have disturbed seriously the ecological balance of our environment. Our country is small but its population is huge. We have taken population control measures countrywide, We have 9% of forests in contrast to the required 25% forests of our total land. So widespread plantation is essential. We have started holding plantation day/week to make it a social movement. We have made laws to stop killing or hunting animals or birds. Our Sundarbans have been declared by the UNO as the World Heritage Site.

The UNO's concern is amply shown when it declared 5th June as World Environment Day. "Our world our future" was the motto of 5th June, 1999. Under the auspices of the UNO, developed and developing countries met in Rio De Janeiro in 1992. There they agreed to take measures for reducing the use of CFC, carbon dioxide gas and so on. At Montreal, Canada they also decided to check and regulate arrangements made by new or old industries for protection of environment.

As pollution of environment has become a serious global concern, we all should make all-out efforts to keep our environment safe from pollution. We should keep in mind that environment pollution is mainly man-made and we are to remedy it. We all are, therefore, to be made conscious of the problem. We are observing World Environment Day (5th June) every year. Electronic and press media can play a vital role in this regard. We also observe "International Earth Day" on 23rd April, as a wake-up call to preserve and protect our forests, wild life, rivers and wetlands for maintaining the bounty and environmental balance of the earth.