Ecological crisis from plastic waste looms in southern districts

The villagers of Kalapara and other coastal areas of Patuakhali district are dumping large amounts of plastic waste in aquaculture basins, canals and rivers around their houses.

This plastic waste is swept away by the tide down the rivers and finally to the Bay of Bengal and other seas, severely imperiling the environment in the south-western parts of the country. The mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, too, are suffering as a result.

Shahin, an NGO pathway official, has outlined the damage caused by such rampant dumping of plastic waste in a video post on Facebook, kicking up a storm on social media.

He mentioned in his post that numerous kinds of plastic waste are being continuously dumped on the banks of the Rabnabad river in Patuakhali, which are getting mixed with the soil.

As a result, soil fertility is dwindling. Again, fishermen and their families are dumping fishing equipment along with water bottles.

Shahin noted that the next generation is facing a serious ecological threat as a result.  The green walls of the mangrove and other forests protect the coast during various storms, tides and other calamities. But the dumping of plastic waste in the forests along the rivers, which result in untrammelled pollution, is causing severe environmental degradation.

A serious lack of awareness on the part of the villagers is being blamed as the main cause for such pollution and the resultant degradation of the environment in the country’s southern region.

Environmentalists pointed out that plastic waste can have a lasting detrimental effect on the environment.

Dr Md. Kamruzzaman, a Professor of the Zoology department of Jahangirnagar University, said, “Generally, flora and fauna, especially aquatic fauna and island animals, are facing severe damage from the plastic waste generated by the environmental threat to the southern plains.

Plastic waste creates a barrier to the habitats of various animals in the river. It creates food storages and threatens the supply of plant food for the southern environment. Not just plants or aquatic animals—people, too, are being directly and indirectly affected by the pollution of the southern environment caused by the dumping of such plastic waste.”

Ecological crisis from plastic waste looms in southern districts

The villagers of Kalapara and other coastal areas of Patuakhali district are dumping large amounts of plastic waste in aquaculture basins, canals and rivers around their houses. This plastic waste is swept away by the tide down the rivers and finally to the Bay of Bengal and other seas, severely imperiling the environment in the south-western parts of the country. The mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, too, are suffering as a result. Shahin, an NGO pathway official, has outlined the damage caused by such rampant dumping of plastic waste in a video post on Facebook, kicking up a storm on social media. He mentioned in his post that numerous kinds of plastic waste are being continuously dumped on the banks of the Rabnabad river in Patuakhali, which are getting mixed with the soil. As a result, soil fertility is dwindling. Again, fishermen and their families are dumping fishing equipment along with water bottles. Shahin noted that the next generation is facing a serious ecological threat as a result. The green walls of the mangrove and other forests protect the coast during various storms, tides and other calamities. But the dumping of plastic waste in the forests along the rivers, which result in untrammelled pollution, is causing severe environmental degradation. A serious lack of awareness on the part of the villagers is being blamed as the main cause for such pollution and the resultant degradation of the environment in the countrys southern region. Environmentalists pointed out that plastic waste can have a lasting detrimental effect on the environment. Dr Md. Kamruzzaman, a Professor of the Zoology department of Jahangirnagar University, said, Generally, flora and fauna, especially aquatic fauna and island animals, are facing severe damage from the plastic waste generated by the environmental threat to the southern plains. Plastic waste creates a barrier to the habitats of various animals in the river. It creates food storages and threatens the supply of plant food for the southern environment. Not just plants or aquatic animalspeople, too, are being directly and indirectly affected by the pollution of the southern environment caused by the dumping of such plastic waste.