Marine pollution in Bangladesh is impeding blue economy growth
If utilised properly, the resources of Bay of Bengal can help foster Bangladesh’s economic growth and prosperity. But for that to happen, marine pollution must be stopped
To sustain life on earth, oceans are indispensable. It constitutes two-thirds of our planet and the marine ecosystem is the largest ecosystem on earth.
There are 64 bays around the world and the Bay of Bengal (hereinafter referred to as BoB) is one of the largest bays, located at the heart of South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The coastal area of Bangladesh can be divided as exposed coast consisting of 23,935 sq km and interior coast, consisting of 23,266 sq km coastal area. The coastal areas and the BoB are at the centre of the blue economy in Bangladesh. They are the storehouse of huge resources, i.e., living and non-living resources, various species of flora and fauna, oil, gas, and other mineral resources.
The concept of 'blue economy' was first developed in (Rio+20) Rio Summit of 2012. It implies an ocean-based economy, exploring marine resources in a systematic way, without compromising the oceans' environmental sustainability, aiming to promote economic growth.
Blue economy enhances the development process in three dimensions: social, environmental and economic. Around 26 marine economic functions, containing and covering fishery, food production, mineral extraction, biotechnology, maritime trade, shipping, tourism, coastal protection, maritime monitoring and surveillance, scientific research etc can be considered the integral parts of blue economy.
Realising the significance of the blue economy, the government of Bangladesh has recently adopted Delta Plan 2100, which includes five strategies to harness the potential of the blue economy to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs). Bangladesh can earn in billions every year if it properly utilises the four main blue economic sectors i.e. oil, gas and fisheries extraction, port expansion and tourism.
Against these huge opportunities of exploring and utilising marine resources, one of the main impediments, among others, is marine pollution. As per Article 1(4) of UNCLOS, marine environment pollution encompasses introducing substances or energy into the marine environment, which results in deleterious effects on living resources, marine life, human health, impairment of sea water quality and reduction of amenities.
There are a number of factors that are contributing directly or indirectly to the marine environment pollution in Bangladesh. Land based and sea based pollution are the two major sources of pollution; land based sources alone being responsible for 80% of total marine pollution.
Land and sea based sources collectively create microbial pollution, which threatens the coastal and marine region. Microbial pollution includes industrial filth, unplanned sewage system, coastal development, unsystematic growth of habitation on the coastal region etc.
As Bangladesh is a riverine country, a total of 230 rivers in Bangladesh carry billions of tons of sediments into the BoB. Industrial units established in the coastal region of Bangladesh discharge enormous amounts of toxic substances containing solid and liquid waste. Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Chattogram, Khulna, Rajshahi and Bogura districts are the major industrial hubs of Bangladesh, industrial discharge from which mix with soil and water and ultimately deteriorate marine environment.
More than 8,542 industrial establishments are situated near the coastal areas of Bangladesh and among them, textile industries are more deleterious to marine environment than any other industrial sector, discharging nearly 40,000m3 wastewater daily. Annually, 12.7–13.5 million m3 wastewater is discharged by textile and dyeing industries jointly.
Apart from these, dumping garbage and sewage from ships also pollute water and marine environment. Bangladesh imports around 3.5 million tons of crude and refined oil, from which 4,000-6,000 tons are dumped annually into the BoB.
Some other major sources of marine pollution are ship breaking yards, dumping about 22.5 tons polychlorinated biphenyl which pollute 20% of fresh water and sewage of around 40 million people who live near 19 coastal districts. All these pollutants consequently affect the vision to reach the blue economy or blue growth.
Our ocean and sky will remain blue as long as they are free from pollution. We have to manage our existing marine resources sustainably and increase investment for improving marine environment and recovering lost marine biodiversity.
To keep our marine environment clean and preserve our ocean, the government should keep an eye on some major issues. Shipping sector must be under a global regulatory framework as shipping is the main medium for transporting goods. Land based pollution can be reduced by adopting waste treatment plants and imposing strict regulations.
The government may introduce land zoning for industries, monitor water quality and enforce existing rules and regulations. Environmental matters require global solutions, which can be attained by national and regional level comprehensive legal framework.
Bangladesh has a Blue Economy Cell under the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, the motto of which is to exploit the resources of the BoB. Unfortunately, it fails to take any remarkable steps towards realising that goal.
As Bangladesh has ratified UNCLOS in 2001 and also 28 other environmental treaties, conventions and protocols, it needs to assess marine pollution, evaluate impact on marine biodiversity and take appropriate actions.
Umma Habiba is a lecturer at Southern University Bangladesh.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.
