[🇧🇩] Save the Rivers/Forests/Hills-----Save the Environment

Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/editorial/news/stop-disturbing-the-sundarbans-3572721

Stop disturbing the Sundarbans!​

Restrain traffic of ships through the forest

It is deeply concerning that on top of projects, megaprojects, illegal occupations and deforestation ravaging the Sundarbans, traffic of ships through the forest has increased dramatically in recent years. A recent report sheds light on how ships, discharging harmful fumes and sound pollution, and often carrying toxic materials through the forest, have nearly doubled in a decade—from 357 trips monthly in 2012 to 837 trips in 2022, and 701 trips monthly so far this year.

Under the first Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade between Bangladesh and India, signed in 1972, lighter cargo vessels can operate between the two countries using the waterways mostly through the Sundarbans. A major route for these ships goes through at least 100 km of the river system inside the mangrove forest, which takes around eight hours for the vessels to travel. While any motor vehicle, including boats and ships, is strictly prohibited from operating through the forest after sunset till sunrise, ships continue to operate 24/7 unrestrained. The customs station in Angtihara, the entry point to the forest on this route, only logs the trips of the ships and does not monitor if any laws have been broken. While the customs and immigration in India close off at night, our customs office continues to operate throughout the night.
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By allowing these activities, we are now destroying the Sundarbans from the inside. The toxic fumes and loud sounds greatly impact wildlife habitats and breeding environments. The propellers disrupt the marine ecosystem, and the waves cause severe erosions. For instance, the width of rivers on this route has increased from 20-30 metres to 50-60 metres. Most of the ships on this route contain fly ash, coal, and stones from India for our riverside cement factories. In the last seven years, at least 15 such ships have capsized inside the forest, spilling these harmful materials directly into the river.

Bangladesh has now become a land of lost forestlands and dead ecosystems. We have irredeemably destroyed a number of forests and major sources of biodiversity throughout this delta, and even in the hill tracts. The Sundarbans is the last hope for any unique and great population of wildlife to survive. The government must ensure that any activity harming this forest is halted immediately, and look for an alternative route for maritime trade with India as well as consider moving major power plants and factories from the area.​

 

[Saif]

Work begins to breathe life into dying Ichamati

The long-awaited project to rejuvenate the Ichamati river began under the supervision of Bangladesh Army, bringing joy to the people of Pabna

www.thedailystar.net

Work begins to breathe life into dying Ichamati

The long-awaited project to rejuvenate the Ichamati river began in early June under the supervision of Bangladesh Army, bringing joy to the people of Pabna.

The Water Development Board (WDB) initiated the "Rejuvenating River Ichamati" project with a budget of Tk 1554.90 crore.

"We have started dredging operations in the Madhpur-Jagannathpur area of Santhia upazila, Pabna, under the supervision of the Bangladesh Army Engineering Division," said Shudhangshu Kumar Sarkar, project director of the Ichamati project.

This three-year project involves dredging 110km of waterways. This includes 33.772km of the main river, 44.072 km of connecting canals, 20 km of the Sutikhali River, and 12.37 km of Varara Canal to restore water flow.

Sarkar, who is also the superintendent engineer of WDB Pabna, added, "Dredging of the main river will be conducted first, and then other works will begin."

In addition to dredging, the project includes constructing a 10-km retaining wall, 10 km of drainage, 23 new bridges, 56 ghats for boat parking, and a 10-km walkway. The project also plans to plant 42,310 trees along the riverbanks for beautification.

A visit to the Madhpur-Jagannathpur area a few days ago revealed rapid progress in the dredging work.

The 82-kilometer-long Ichamati River, which originates from the Padma River and reaches Hurasagar in Bera upazila, flows through the district headquarters of Pabna. However, it has been severely affected by rampant encroachment and pollution over the decades.

"The people of Pabna have been striving to protect the Ichamati River, essential to their livelihoods," said SM Mahabubul Alom, founder of Ichamati Rokhkha Andolon.

"We want proper dredging of the Ichamati according to the CS map for rejuvenating the river," he added.

After the project was approved in the ECNEC meeting last October, the work was handed over to the Army Engineering Division, according to WDB.

Encroachers have occupied land forging documents in their names over the past few decades. The WDB has identified 1053 illegal structures on the Ichamati . Encroachers have filed a series of cases, with 73 cases still pending in court.

"Ichamati will be dredged according to the CS map, and illegal structures will be removed as per court directions," said Md Mosharaf Hossain, assistant director of WDB Pabna.​

 

[Saif]

Major brands join forces to decarbonise Bangladesh’s fashion industry

Some of the world’s biggest fashion brands such as like Gap Inc, H&M Group, Mango, and Bestseller have joined forces to participate in an initiative to decarbonise the fashion sector in Bangladesh.

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Major brands join forces to decarbonise Bangladesh's fashion industry

Some of the world's biggest fashion brands such as like Gap Inc, H&M Group, Mango, and Bestseller have joined forces to participate in an initiative to decarbonise the fashion sector in Bangladesh.

The Future Supplier Initiative offers a collective financing model to support decarbonisation in the apparel sector, according to a statement from H&M.

It is facilitated by non-profit The Fashion Pact in partnership with brand and manufacturer platform Apparel Impact Institute, consultancy firm Guidehouse and Singaporean DBS Bank.

Decarbonisation is the process of reducing or eliminating carbon dioxide emissions from processes such as manufacturing.

Future Supplier Initiative estimates that 99 percent of total fashion brand emissions occur in the supply chain.

It aims to accelerate the transition to net zero by sharing the financial risks and responsibilities of transitioning to renewable energy sources in garment and textile factories alongside their suppliers.

The initiative is a brand-agnostic mechanism that will develop and finance projects to support both brands and suppliers to meet their "Science Based Targets" (SBTs) and stay within the 1.5 degree trajectory.

The 1.5-degree trajectory is a specific goal outlined in the context of global efforts to address climate change, with the aim being to limit global warming to an increase of no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

To this end, a combination of technical support and financial incentives will be used to help overcome the barriers that prevent many factories from adopting electrification and renewable energy solutions.

"The cost of inaction on climate change is unaffordable," said Eva von Alvensleben, executive director and secretary general of The Fashion Pact, according to a statement from H&M on June 13.

"If the fashion sector is to meet its goals and transform its supply chain, we urgently need to address the gap between ambition and action," she said.

"No business alone can solve this challenge, but by sharing the costs, risks and responsibilities of the transition to renewable energy, we can build an ecosystem of solutions and kickstart a new era of change," she added.

The H&M statement added that achieving significant emission reductions would mean that suppliers may need to adopt a range of energy-efficient technologies and processes, as well as transitioning to renewable energy sources, often with lengthy payback periods that can take decades.

This deters many suppliers from embracing electrification and renewable energy solutions, hindering progress towards decarbonisation goals.

To help accelerate progress and bridge these gaps, the Future Supplier Initiative aims to reduce the cost for suppliers by working with fashion brands to decrease the cost of capital for loans that can accelerate decarbonisation.

Alongside financial incentives, technical support will be provided to help suppliers identify and implement low-carbon technologies and solutions.

Baselining and monitoring emission reductions will also be conducted to demonstrate the impact of projects financed and implemented by the initiative.

The initiative seeks to identifying common factory units, interventions and costs and match projects with the highest potential for impact.

"At Bestseller, we are working intensively to improve our climate footprint," said Anders Holch Povlsen, owner and CEO of Bestseller.

"We have largely managed to tackle our direct emissions, but it is clear that emissions in our value chain require ambitious efforts on a scale that calls for innovative, joint solutions," he said.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Air pollution caused most deaths in 2021

Air pollution has become the leading cause of death in Bangladesh, outpacing fatalities from high blood pressure, poor diet and tobacco use, found a new study.

www.thedailystar.net

Air pollution caused most deaths in 2021
2.36 lakh people died in Bangladesh, says global study; children under 5 years particularly vulnerable

Air pollution has become the leading cause of death in Bangladesh, outpacing fatalities from high blood pressure, poor diet and tobacco use, found a new study.

In 2021, at least 236,000 lives were lost in Bangladesh due to air pollution, according to the fifth edition of the State of Global Air report, which was released yesterday.

In contrast, there were 200,000 deaths linked to high blood pressure, 130,100 deaths linked to tobacco use and 130,400 deaths linked to poor diet.

Children in Bangladesh are particularly vulnerable to air pollution: the country ranked fifth globally in 2021 in the total number of deaths among children under the age of five due to air pollution.

As many as 19,000 children under five years old died due to air pollution, said the report, which was produced by the State of Global Air Initiative, a collaboration between the Health Effects Institute (HEI) and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation's Global Burden of Disease project in partnership with Unicef.

India tops the list with 169,000 deaths in children under 5, followed by Nigeria (114,000), Pakistan (68,000) and Ethiopia (31,000).

"In the last 20 years, we have talked a lot about air pollution but when it comes to action, we rarely see any action -- even the interventions that we saw are very insignificant," said Abdus Salam, one of the reviewers of the study.

The study focuses on the danger of both indoor and outdoor pollution and the vulnerability of children due to indoor air pollution in Bangladesh, said Salam, a professor of chemistry at Dhaka University.

As much as 36 percent of preterm births in Bangladesh in 2021 were linked to exposure to air pollution.

Air pollution impacts children's health in many ways -- from pregnancy through early childhood -- through impacts on newborns including preterm birth, as well as through lower respiratory infections and asthma in children,said Pallavi Pant, head of global health at HEI.

The study found South Asia to be the most polluted region in the world in terms of air: about 18 percent of the total deaths in the region are linked to air pollution.

Bangladesh also featured in the top 20 countries with the highest outdoor PM2.5 exposures.

More than 92 percent of the country's population live in areas that exceed the least stringent interim target for PM2.5 (35 µg/m3) from the World Health Organisation, the report said.

Exposure to household air pollution caused by the use of solid fuels for cooking is also linked to the development of cataracts, a debilitating disease that affects many across South Asia, Pant told The Daily Star.

Across South Asia, residential solid fuel use continues to be an important contributor to outdoor PM2.5, together with energy, industry, agriculture and transportation sectors.

"It is promising to see progress including reductions in PM2.5 levels and exposure to household air pollution over the last few years. However, exposures to various pollutants remain high in much of South Asia, and the data brings into focus the need for sustained and science-based local and regional action to improve air quality," said Pant, who oversaw the report's release.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Resorts in Sundarbans: Environment must not be destroyed

Resorts in Sundarbans destroying environment with illegal constructions and pollution, risking natural heritage

en.prothomalo.com

Resorts in Sundarbans: Environment must not be destroyed
Published: 18 Jun 2024, 17: 34

The Sundarbans is not only a part of the global heritage but a crucial natural resource of Bangladesh. The recent Cyclone Remal was a reminder of the fact that this forest protects us from natural disasters.

The way a mother hold her child close to keep it out of harm's way, the Sundarbans also protects us from the cyclones every single time.

But alongside cutting down trees indiscriminately, a cluster of resort owners have got down to destroying the Sundarbans in the name tourist service. Prothom Alo reports that resorts are being built one after another in the ecologically critical area (ECA) adjacent to the Sundarbans.

As many as 14 resorts have already been constructed in Khulna and Satkhira by felling trees of the forest and filling up canals. Meanwhile, the construction of another eight resorts is underway.

Noisy generators are roaring to keep the resorts running. There are deafening sound systems installed. And, air conditioners (ACs) have been installed in most of the resorts.

According to the Environment Conservation Act, the area within the 10-kilometre radius of the Sundarbans has been declared an ecologically critical area. Construction of any establishments or any sort of activities that destroy the natural features is completely prohibited in these areas.

However, the resort owners have been building establishments one after another without paying heed to these prohibitions. Water, sound and earth pollutions are increasing in the surrounding areas of these resorts. And the wild animals are leaving that part of the forest.

While conducting a baseline study on community-based ecotourism centering the Sundarbans two professors from Khulna University recently found out that there were only three eco cottages around the forest in Dakop of Khulna and in Mongla of Satkhira back in 2018. Then the number reached to twelve in 2023.

All the 74 rooms in those 12 resorts could house as many as 260 tourists then. Meanwhile, another eight cottages having a total of 58 rooms are being constructed this year and the construction of 42 new rooms in seven of the old cottages is also underway. The accommodation capability of 20 cottages would reach 560 persons towards the end of 2024.

What's more intriguing is that a couple of non-government organisatins have also become involved in constructing resorts. NGOs are supposed to serve poor people and protect the environment. Then why would they run resort business by destroying the environment?

Former chief forest conservator and ex country director of IUC, Ishtiaq Uddin Ahmed told Prothom Alo, "Various threats including the establishment of factories around the Sundarbans are on the rise. If resorts continue running illegally like this, the condition of the Sundarbans will also become like the Bhawal forest of Gazipur."

Khulna environment directorate director Md Iqbal Hossain has also acknowledged that the establishment of resorts one after another is causing harm to the environment as well as to the Sundarbans.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Air pollution is now the biggest killer in Bangladesh

Take action against those responsible for this situation

www.thedailystar.net

Air pollution is now the biggest killer in Bangladesh
Take action against those responsible for this situation

VISUAL: STAR

It is alarming to know that air pollution has become the leading cause of death in Bangladesh, outpacing fatalities from high blood pressure, poor diet, and tobacco use, according to a newly unveiled global study. The study found that in 2021, at least 236,000 lives were lost due to air pollution in the country. By comparison, 200,000 deaths occurred due to high blood pressure, 130,100 due to tobacco use, and 130,400 were linked to poor diet. This deserves critical attention.

Unlike other major causes of deaths, air pollution is something that affects everyone, particularly children. In fact, in 2021, the country ranked fifth globally in terms of deaths among children under the age of five due to air pollution. And as much as 36 percent of preterm births in Bangladesh were also linked to it. Aside from deaths, air pollution impacts children's health in many ways and at many levels, starting from pregnancy through early childhood. These issues may continue to affect an individual throughout their life.

Despite these severe health impacts—and the resulting burden on the nation—we wonder why the government has failed to make any significant progress in reducing air pollution. A number of previous studies have shared similar findings, which make it obvious that this has turned into a silent killer that must be urgently addressed. According to a study by Clean Air Fund (CAF), between 2017 and 2021, Bangladesh received $2.3 billion to curb air pollution. Where did this fund go? What was it used for? Does the government have any notable achievement to show that it was properly utilised?

Major pollutants like construction dust, traffic fumes, factory emissions, and brick kilns continue to be unchecked to this day. According to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), of the 60 lakh registered vehicles in the country, about 6.17 lakh run with no or expired fitness certificates. Additionally, Bangladesh produces about 30 lakh tonnes of e-waste every year—most of which contain carcinogenic elements. Brick kilns, too, continue to heavily pollute the environment. In other words, the government has done little to nothing to address the killer air that citizens are breathing in.

Last year, the High Court rightly lambasted the Department of Environment (DoE) for failing to take effective steps to control air pollution in Dhaka despites its repeated directives. But even that seems to have changed nothing. It is high time, therefore, for the relevant state institutions as well as polluting entities to be held responsible for their negligence or contributions in this regard. Perhaps then they will finally start to act as they are legally bound to do, and help prevent needless deaths of citizens.​