Water pollution in Bangladesh

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Bangladesh is a densely populated country with 170 million people being accommodated in 55160 sq mile area. The country boasts more than 6% growth in GDP for the last decade despite natural calamities and scarcity of resources. The economic development brings with it pitfalls poised to affect the livelihood, environment, health, bio-diversity and eco-system of the country.

The most affected natural lifeline of the people of Bangladesh is water. The country is             crisscrossed by numerous rivers, canals and water-bodies.  The river system and water-bodies in Bangladesh stand unique in providing livelihood, feeding millions, facilitating communication and preserving rich bio-diversity and eco-system. But indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers to increase the food production, ever-increasing use of ground water for consumption and irrigation, withdrawal of water by India from the 54 common rivers that flow over the two countries and indiscriminate drainage of industrial waste products into the river systems and water bodies are making a havoc as water is being polluted heavily with everyday passing.

The most pressing problem is arsenic contamination of the ground water. According to a report of World Health Organization in 2012, 32 million of Bangladesh?s population drink water heavily contaminated with arsenic causing 43 thousand death every year. Hundreds of thousands are being affected with cancer, skin diseases, kidney and liver diseases from arsenicosis.

The use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture is also a notorious source of water pollution. Urea, Phosphate and other fertilizers are being used in huge quantities to increase the yields. These fertilizers mix with surface water after being washed away by rain and flood. Moreover, they get dissolved into water which makes its way into ground water.

Untreated industrial waste is now probably the biggest water pollutant in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is one of the largest readymade garments exporting countries. Although the sector does out nearly 45 million jobs, the overwhelming majority of these garments industries that also comprise knitting and dying industries do not have ETP (Effluent Treatment Plant) and throw the industrial waste into the rivers and canals. Leather industries and other chemical industries also do the same. The horrible state of highly polluted waters of four rivers around the Dhaka City, namely The Buriganga, the Shitalakkha, the Turag and the Balu river testify  the non-compliance of environmental laws of the land by the industry-owners and lack of enforcement of laws by the concerned government agencies.

It?s now overdue that all concerned agencies, civil society social and political organizations of Bangladesh stand tall against the unabated pollution of water. If pollution goes like this, water will poison the lives of the people, of the lives in eco-system and will invariably put Bangladesh in natural disaster unrecoverable, uncompensated for.