Save Halda

Dumping of industrial waste into water bodies is an intractable problem. There have been countless reports in the past, alerting the authority of indiscriminate disposal of toxic waste into rivers that kill marine life and, while the government takes firm measures from time to time, this destructive culture refuses to die out, seeing a periodical recrudescence.

Reportedly, Halda, the river which is now the only spawning water body of the country, is facing threat as hundreds of dead fish have been found floating on the water. The reasons are several: toxic waste from local market, effluent from Asian paper mills, poultry excreta and industrial water. Bangladesh Fish Research Institute, BFRI, has taken specimen of the dead fish to ascertain the sudden catastrophe which has led to the death of around 20 species of fish. To look at the current situation at Halda, vis a vis the countrywide pollution of water bodies, one can take the polluting causes to be familiar ones. The markets and the paper mill had been in the area for a long period, therefore, it’s possible some new damaging element has mixed with the water, threatening aquatic life.

This has to be identified swiftly and since Halda is a centre for spawning, the authority must impose certain restrictions in the dumping of rubbish from the bazaar and strictly advise poultry firms to seek alternative disposal for bird excreta. This year, 26,680 kg of eggs were collected from Halda, the highest in the last 10 years. In fact, there have been times when egg collection came down to almost zero due to widespread abuse of the water body. The authority, realizing the degradation of Halda, took measures and imposed a series of much needed embargoes on the catching of fries.

However, the recent episode which has seen a large number of dead fish, has to be tackled before more damage is done. It’s not clear if the paper mill in the area has an effluent treatment plant or not. The first step may be to make such a facility mandatory for all factories surrounding Halda. To control the waste ending up in the water from the local market, the district administration can play a role with the support of the local council. Also, the government can consider roping in large private sector firms, under the corporate social responsibility umbrella, to be active in safeguarding Halda River.

 

Save Halda

Dumping of industrial waste into water bodies is an intractable problem. There have been countless reports in the past, alerting the authority of indiscriminate disposal of toxic waste into rivers that kill marine life and, while the government takes firm measures from time to time, this destructive culture refuses to die out, seeing a periodical recrudescence. Reportedly, Halda, the river which is now the only spawning water body of the country, is facing threat as hundreds of dead fish have been found floating on the water. The reasons are several: toxic waste from local market, effluent from Asian paper mills, poultry excreta and industrial water. Bangladesh Fish Research Institute, BFRI, has taken specimen of the dead fish to ascertain the sudden catastrophe which has led to the death of around 20 species of fish. To look at the current situation at Halda, vis a vis the countrywide pollution of water bodies, one can take the polluting causes to be familiar ones. The markets and the paper mill had been in the area for a long period, therefore, its possible some new damaging element has mixed with the water, threatening aquatic life. This has to be identified swiftly and since Halda is a centre for spawning, the authority must impose certain restrictions in the dumping of rubbish from the bazaar and strictly advise poultry firms to seek alternative disposal for bird excreta. This year, 26,680 kg of eggs were collected from Halda, the highest in the last 10 years. In fact, there have been times when egg collection came down to almost zero due to widespread abuse of the water body. The authority, realizing the degradation of Halda, took measures and imposed a series of much needed embargoes on the catching of fries. However, the recent episode which has seen a large number of dead fish, has to be tackled before more damage is done. Its not clear if the paper mill in the area has an effluent treatment plant or not. The first step may be to make such a facility mandatory for all factories surrounding Halda. To control the waste ending up in the water from the local market, the district administration can play a role with the support of the local council. Also, the government can consider roping in large private sector firms, under the corporate social responsibility umbrella, to be active in safeguarding Halda River.