Floods in Bangladesh: Causes and possible

Publish Date : September 06, 2014
by Tarequl Islam Munna

Tarequl Islam Munna

Tarequl Islam Munna

Flooding propensity in an area can vary greatly with a change in the water carrying capacity of a drainage basin and/or with a change in land elevation with respect to the base level of rivers - the ocean. The flood problem and the solution can be analyzed in the context of two fundamental parametres: water carrying capacity of rivers and land elevation. Bangladesh is drained by 300 major rivers and channels most of which originate outside the country. Therefore, formulating solutions to the flooding problem requires an understanding of the regional geologic setting and the underlying cause of floods.
Causes of flood in Bangladesh: The factors responsible for the recent low frequency floods in Bangladesh can be analyzed in terms of short-term and long-term processes. Evident phenomena that take place prior to and during floods are termed short-term processes. On the other hand, the slowly occurring phenomena which cannot be tied to the flood problem directly are termed long-term processes. There are various other causes too.
Monsoon downpour: An increased amount of precipitation can cause flooding. An excessive monsoon downpour in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna drainage system is thought to be the primary cause of the 1988 flood in Bangladesh. It is not known, however, if the heavy precipitation is actually an effect of other processes such as the greenhouse effect or destruction of forests in the upstream region.
Synchronization of flood peaks: The synchronization of flood peaks for the major three rivers took place within a two week time, causing a sudden increase in water level in virtually all areas of the country. While the synchronization of flood peaks can explain the cause of the 1988 flood, it fails to explain the reason for an overall increased propensity for low frequency floods in recent years such as occurred in 1974, 1984, 1987, and 1991.
Local relative sea level rise: The land elevation is measured with respect to sea level in an area. Therefore, any change in sea level causes land elevation to change. The rate of local relative sea level rise is 7 mm/year around the coastal areas of Bangladesh. An increase in sea level raises the base level of rivers, which in turn reduces the gradient of river flow. As a result, the discharge of rivers decreases as the water flow becomes sluggish, creating a backwater effect further inland. This certainly seems to be one of the reasons for the increase in flood intensity in recent years in Bangladesh.
Inadequate sediment accumulation: The only way for land to counter the effects of a rising sea is for sediment to accumulate at a rate that is sufficient to keep pace with the rate of sea level rise. Limited data show that the average sediment accumulation rate for the last few hundred years in the coastal areas of Bangladesh is 5-6 mm/year, which is not enough to keep pace with the rising sea level. As a result, net land elevations must have been decreasing over time, resulting in more flood inundations.
Riverbed aggradation: Due to relatively higher settling velocity, the large-grained sediments are deposited near the source area on the riverbeds, forming sand bars. The river gradient decreases rapidly if sedimentation continues on the riverbeds. Riverbed aggradation is so pronounced in Bangladesh that changes in riverbed level can be observed during one's lifetime. For example, the Old Brahmaputra was navigable for steamers only about 30 years ago, and is presently an abandoned channel. Riverbed aggradation reduces the water carrying capacity of rivers, causing them to overflow their banks. This recent increase in riverbed levels must have contributed to the increased flooding propensity in Bangladesh.
Deforestation in the upstream region: A rapid increase in population in the Indian Subcontinent over the course of the present century has resulted in an acceleration of deforestation in the hills of Nepal to meet the increasing demand for food and fuel wood. Deforestation of steep slopes is assumed to lead to accelerated soil erosion and landslides during monsoon precipitations.
Damming of rivers: Damming of a river reduces the velocity of water flow downstream. As a result of reduced velocity, the sediments carried by the river start to settle down faster on the riverbed, causing riverbed aggradation and in turn reducing the water carrying capacity of the river. The Farakka Barrage on the Ganges has already caused tremendous damage to the agriculture, navigation, environment, and hydrodynamic equilibrium in Bangladesh
Soil erosion due to tilling: Ploughing makes the land surface more susceptible to soil erosion. Surface run-off can easily wash away the topsoil from cultivated land. This surface erosion reduces land elevation, which in turn increases flood intensity in an area. The land elevations in Bangladesh must have been reduced over time due cultivation. Aside from this, the tilling on the mountain slopes of the Himalayas is thought to be responsible for massive soil erosion in Nepal that eventually causes rapid riverbed aggradation in Bangladesh.
Seismic and neo-tectonic activities: Bangladesh lies on the Indian lithospheric plate which is pushing against the Asian plate, causing growth of the Himalayas and occasional earthquakes in the region. Earthquakes cause movement of the land, and this can change the topography of the region and alter river courses. A sudden change in a river course can cause substantial flooding. For example, the Old Brahmaputra changed its course to its present location following an earthquake in the mid eighteenth century. Neotectonic activities (recent movements in the Earth's crust) are affecting river courses in the northern region of Bangladesh. Most of the recent floods have been approximately simultaneous with earthquake activities. For example, the floods of 1988 and 1991 were coincident with earthquake activities in northern parts of Bangladesh.
Greenhouse effect: The world is about to enter a period of rapid warming. Bangladesh will be severely impacted by an increase in the sea level. Besides many other adverse environmental, economic, and climatic consequences and the base level of all rivers will change following any change in the sea level. The greenhouse effect will also increase the amount of rainfall and storminess, which will further aggravate the flood problem.
Possible ways of solutions: Solutions to the flood problem in Bangladesh can be divided into two basic types: structural solutions and geologic or alternative solutions. Structural solutions call for the engineering of structures such as embankments along rivers, dams, drains, reservoirs, and other structures designed to control the natural flow of rivers. Structural solutions are in practice on a limited scale in Bangladesh as part of a flood control project. The basic requirement for formulating a solution to the flood problem is an understanding of underlying geologic processes that cause floods. The geologic solution is more farsighted in nature. It is to permit the delta to grow both vertically and horizontally at a rate that would keep pace with the relative sea level rise in the region.
Dredging and re-excavation of rivers: Continuous dredging of the rivers and channels and dispersion of the dredged sediments on the delta plain will not only increase elevation of the land, but will also increase the capacity of the rivers. The rivers in Bangladesh carry ample sediment for dredging and dispersion on the flood plains in spite of the fact that the average sediment load of the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system has declined from 2.4 billion tons/year to 1.6 billion tons/year since the diversion of the Ganges through the Farakka-Barrage damming project. The recent increase in sediment discharge has caused the river bed level to rise about 5-7m, thus decreasing bankfull stage and increasing its flooding propensity. If dredged and dispersed properly, this extra source of sediment can help the delta to grow.
Preventing land degradation: Suspended sediments adhere to the stems of plants. Farmers can be advised to leave a few inches of stem remaining from their rice crops during harvesting before the rainy season. They should also be given more information about the problem of soil erosion.
Flood preparedness: An understanding of how individuals have adapted to and are affected by floods may suggest new and less costly ways of reducing flood damages. Indigenous solutions such as the building of suitable housing, shelters and infrastructures also deserve serious consideration.
Interbasinal cooperation: Without regional cooperation between the co-riparian nations, any major interbasin development activity is almost impossible. In order for any interbasinal flood control project to be successful, it will have to be designed to serve the common interests of the people of the countries concerned. For example, construction of reservoirs in the upstream regions of the Brahmaputra to hold excess water during rainy seasons can reduce flood propensity in Bangladesh. The trapped water can be used to produce electricity during the summer months, to meet some of the irrigation demands for Bangladesh and energy demands of Nepal and India.

Source link: http://www.observerbd.com/2014/09/06/41457.php

The writer is correspondent of American International News Service, Columnist and Conservator, wildlife and environment. E-mail: munna_tareq@yahoo.

Waging a war on food adulteration

by Tarequl Islam Munna

Adulteration is rampant in the country. It is very difficult to find a food item which is free of adulteration. Vegetables, fish, milk, fruit, sweetmeats, ice cream, spices -- nothing is safe. Almost every day in the print and electronic media, items on food adulteration are reported. Carbide, formalin, textile colours, artificial sweeteners, DDT, urea etc. are used frequently for food adulteration.

Adulteration of food items with toxic chemicals poses a serious threat to public health. In a country like Bangladesh, due to poor health literacy among citizens, the level of awareness about widespread food adulteration practice is very low. The immediate effect of consumption of adulterated foods might be severe. The adulteration practice has left millions of consumers at serious health risks. In the long run harmful chemicals used in food adulteration adversely affect vital organs in human body, including the liver, kidney and heart. People suffer from organ failure or even cancer, and untimely loss lives, prematurely.

Ironically, people from all walks of life are aware of the hazards of taking foods adulterated with toxic chemicals. But they are mere spectators. Because, repeated pledges made by the authorities to stop food adulteration have not been translated into practice. As a result, though people are aware of the health hazards of consuming adulterated food items, they are nevertheless buying and consuming these adulterated foods. Explanations for this paradox, among others, are absence or unavailability of non-adulterated food, failure of the regulatory agency to test and screen out adulterated food, cultural factors, food habits, etc.

There is no paucity of laws and regulations to contain adulteration of food in Bangladesh. They include: 1. Penal Code, 1860 (PC 1860), 2. Control of Essential Commodities Act, 1956 (CECA 1956), 3. Food (Special Courts) Act, 1956 (FA 1956), 4. Pure Food Ordinance, 1959 (PFO 1959), 5. Cantonments Pure Food Act, 1966 (CPFA 1966), 6. Pesticide Ordinance, 1971 (PO 1971), 7. Special Powers Act, 1974 (SPA 1974), 8. Fish and Fish Products (Inspection and Control), Ordinance, 1983 (FFPO 1983), 9. The Breast-Milk Substitutes (Regulation of Marketing) Ordinance, 1984 (BMSO 1984), 10. Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution Ordinance, 1985 (BSTIO 1985), 11. Iodine Deficiency Disorders Prevention Act, 1989 (IDDPA 1989), 12. Vokta Odhikar Songrokkhon Ain, 2009 (Consumers Rights Protection Act 2009), 13. Sthanio Sarkar (City Corporation) Ain, 2009 {Local Government (City Corporation) Act 2009}, 14. Sthanio Sarkar (Pouroshava) Ain, 2009 [Local Government (Pouroshava) Act 2009], 15. Mobile Court Ain, 2009 [Mobile Court Act 2009].

It is important to note that use of such a large number of laws for a single purpose like food safety is quite unusual and unprecedented in the world.

The government's body for consumers' rights protection has only 19 teams to monitor markets across Bangladesh. Is it possible for 19 teams to check and control widespread food adulteration practice in the country? The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) appears to be apathetic and insufficient in strength in checking food adulteration. It is also not possible for a single institution to stop food adulteration.

Many in the government and public domain have tried to voice their concerns on food adulteration. Many have suggested taking punitive actions against the offenders, who poison our food. But all these have clearly failed to prevent the injection of formalin or carbide or any such substance into our food.

A recent study has found that many fruits and food items sold in markets across the country are laced with formalin, a dangerous chemical used for preventing foods from rotting. Meanwhile, the environmental activists' group Paribesh Bachao Andolon (PABA) disclosed its dreadful findings on the use of formalin after collecting 263 samples of fruit and traditional Iftar items from different parts in Dhaka.

The group has found 100 per cent of vermicelli and citrus fruit, 95 per cent of grapes, 91 per cent of bananas, 90 per cent of noodles, 82 per cent of mangoes, 77 per cent of dates, 75 per cent of tomatoes, 60 per cent of eggplants, 59 per cent of apples and 20 per cent of cucumbers contaminated with formalin and other harmful chemical preservatives.

The authorities concerned should wage a sustained campaign to establish people's fundamental right to have safe and nutritious food and against those engaged in food adulteration. For this to achieve, enforcement of existing laws under one umbrella needs to be ensured. The government needs to help promote awareness-building campaign among consumers. Promotion of ethical practices among the business community is also needed with active participation of the business leaders. The consumer rights groups should be more vocal and play active role in developing a mass campaign/movement in the country to end the food adulteration menace.
 
Source link: http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2014/08/21/51533

The writer is correspondent of American International News Service, and conservator of wildlife and environment. munna_tareq@yahoo.com

Living with toxic vegetables

by Tarequl Islam Munna

Consuming safe food is one of the fundamental rights for every citizen of Bangladesh. But people in Dhaka city of around 10 million are daily consuming toxic vegetable under the labels of organic edibles.

According to a study by the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI), toxic chemicals are being widely used to enhance production of vegetable.

In Bangladesh, it is a common perception that our food items are poisoned with formalin only. This is only a fraction of the problem. Pesticides are the main culprit. Each year, 50,000 tonnes of pesticides are making their way into air, water and our bodies. In other countries, people are indirectly affected by environmental pollution.

Farmers use very high level of pesticides in vegetable, higher than in rice, said Dr Alam, Entomology Division, the BARI. Chemically polluted runoff from fields is directly poisoning the soil killing micro-organisms and friendly insects and the toxic elements eventually are discharged in water bodies killing fishes and other aquatics destroying fresh water ecosystem.

"The large-scale spraying of chemical pesticides on crops usually causes death to 80 per cent of farmer-friendly insects, which is alarming for the environment," he said.

The presence of toxic substances in food samples is three to 20 times the limits set by the European Union. Forty per cent of the 82 samples contained pesticide that had been banned more than one and a half decades ago for high toxicity. The banned pesticides include DDT (Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane), Aldrin, Chlordane and Heptachlor that are extremely harmful to humans.

There is widespread evidence in Bangladesh that pesticides are used inappropriately. In one survey of several hundred vegetable farmers, carried out in several remote districts in Bangladesh, 50 per cent of pesticides were classed as 'very hazardous' and 47 per cent of farmers were found to be overusing them. In the same survey, only 4 per cent of farmers reported receiving basic training on safe handling of pesticides, and 87 per cent openly admitted that they took no protective measures when mixing and handling pesticides.

A survey by the World Bank found farmers usually spraying their crops bare-footed (only 1 per cent even wearing sandals); only 2 per cent wore gloves, 3 per cent protective eye-glasses, and 6 per cent home-made cotton masks. Probably as a result of this widespread exposure, 26 per cent reported experiencing multiple health effects, including headaches, eye and skin irritation, vomiting or dizziness.

The frequent use of chemical pesticides on summer vegetables without following the pre-harvest interval rules leads to growing resistance of the pests. Traces of toxic chemicals and pesticides can be found in the produce even four months after these are applied on. Alarmingly, most produce reach the kitchen markets in Dhaka within only three to four days after pesticides applied on them. The deadly elements exist within the vegetables even after these are cooked.

A study by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) in September 2010 revealed that use of toxic chemicals in agriculture had increased six times over a decade. As per the data of the Bangladesh Kidney Foundation, some 16 per cent of the country's people suffer from renal diseases because of food adulteration.

Due to taking adulterated food, the number of patients suffering from cancer, kidney and liver complications is increasing day by day. In 2012, the number of cancer patients was 232,456 and it jumped to 476,265 in 2013, according to a leading non-government organisation in the country. Every year 4.5 million people in the country suffer from different diseases due to food adulteration, according to the WHO.

An anti-toxic chemical movement in Bangladesh is being not sufficient for food security. The monitoring is limited to checking toxic chemicals across the country, because they can only find out contaminated formalin, but those contaminated with other toxic chemicals in vegetable remain undetected.

The existing laws to deal with these wider forms of food adulteration are not being enforced properly, when we see (a) the Safe Food Law 2013 not yet being enforced, (b) the highest punishment as per this law being a maximum of five years' jail-term and a fine of Tk5,00,000, (c) the High Court's direction of establishing one Safe Food Court in every district being overlooked, (d) Safe Food Rules 2014, and (e) Bangladesh Safe Food Authority not yet functional.

Agriculture development journalist Shykh Seraj has suggested taking integrated pest management (IPM) methods to every village in the country as an effective way of preventing food adulteration.  "If we want to ensure food safety, we have to focus on the root cause of the problem. Contamination of food starts at the production level. So we need to go for chemical-free production methods," he said.



Source link: http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2014/12/16/71227

The writer is columnist and activist for conservation of wildlife and environment.
 munna_tareq@yahoo.com

Living with toxic fruits

 by Tarequl Islam Munna

Food poisoning has become a serious problem in Bangladesh. Toxic chemicals that cause serious public health hazards are present alarmingly in almost all fruits available in the market.

Formalin (formaldehyde), the toxic chemical used in labs and at morgues of medical colleges, has become the most common substance to preserve fish, fruits, vegetables and milk. This, by any standard, is a vicious criminality. On the one hand, the unscrupulous business people are using toxic chemicals for ripening fruits before time and on the other, they are soaking fruits in this particular toxic chemical in an attempt to give them a better look as well as keep them free from rotting.

A study has found that many fruits in the markets across Bangladesh are laced with toxic chemicals used to keep them from rotting. An  environmental group Poribesh Bachao Andolan (POBA) disclosed horrifying findings on the use of formalin, after collecting 263 samples of fruit from 35 different points in Dhaka city alone from June 01 to June 10 this year. Samples were tested by using Z-300 formaldehyde meter.

The group found 95 per cent of grapes, 100 per cent of blackberries, 91 per cent of bananas, 66 per cent of mangoes, 77 per cent of dates, 59 per cent of apples and 69 per cent of oranges and 95 per cent of lychees severely   contaminated by formaldehyde.

In another study conducted this year with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), a team of National Food Safety Laboratory of Bangladesh also found unsafe levels of pesticides in 35 per cent of  fruits available in the market.

Widespread use of toxic chemicals in preservation of fruit is posing a serious threat to public health. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) chief Benazir Ahmed equated the situation with slow poisoning of the masses and pleaded "not to get involved with buying, selling or consuming formalin contaminated fruits". A DMP spokesman said, fruits could naturally contain 0.03-0.15 ppm (part per million) level of formalin, but during inspection in the Dhaka markets, police found the level between 3.5 ppm to 46 ppm.

The existing laws to deal with these extreme forms of food adulteration are either too weak or are not being enforced properly, when we see: (a) the Safe Food Law 2013 not yet being enforced, (b) the highest punishment as per this law being only a maximum of five years' jail-time and a fine of Tk 5 hundred thousand, (c) High Court's directive of establishing one Safe Food court in every district being overlooked, (d) Safe Food Rules 2014 still in draft form, (e) Bangladesh Safe Food Authority not yet functional.

The anti-toxic chemical movement in Bangladesh is not sufficient for food safety. The monitoring is limited to checking toxic chemicals across the country, because they can only find contamination caused by formalin, but  contamination by other toxic chemicals in fruits remains undetected.

A firm commitment from the political establishment is the crying need of the hour to wage a sustained campaign against the perpetrators who are ceaselessly at work to cash in on the health hazards of millions in the country. For this to achieve, relentless enforcement of existing laws with the execution of highest possible penalty, awareness-building campaign among consumers, promotion of ethical practices among the business community with active involvement of the business leaders and capacity development of public health labs to test fruits for toxic on the spot are needed. The consumer rights groups should be more vocal and play active role in developing a mass campaign/movement for toxic-free fruits in Bangladesh.

Source link: http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2014/09/28/58607

munna_tareq@yahoo.com

Living with poisoned fishes

by Tarequl Islam Munna

Fish has a very strong cultural attachment as an irreplaceable animal food source in Bangladeshi diet with high nutritional value. Unfortunately, over the years, marketing of fish across the country has been tainted by the abominable practice of applying Formaldehyde (formalin).

Dr Umme Ara, principle scientific officer of the institution of Food Science and Technology of the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), says that Formaldehyde may cause uncontrolled cell growth or cancer in stomach, lung and respiratory system if anyone consumes fish contaminated with it. Professor Mir Misbahuddin, chairman of the department of pharmacology of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, tells that no specific research on diseases based on Formaldehyde contamination has been conducted in this country as yet, but the chemical substances that should not to be in food items are harmful to human bodies if the contaminated items are regularly consumed. He adds, 'Formaldehyde, carbide and DDT (a kind of pesticide that has been used to preserve dry fish) are not part of nutrition in our food items and the chemicals are being used in stretching unnatural shelf life of foods. Hence, if the chemicals are consumed, they react to cause unnatural nutritional composition in human bodies adversely impacting human cell growth system. Formalin, a typical commercial grade of formaldehyde, may contain 10 to 12 per cent methanol and aluminium, iron and copper.

 In a study published in the Journal of Medical Sciences, it has been revealed that formaldehyde levels are high in imported fish coming from India and Myanmar.

In the Dhaka fish markets, fishes of pale colour due to long exposure to dry weather and heat are found to be coloured artificially by the retailers and wholesalers. Colouring is done very early in the morning when fishes reach the wholesalers after auction. Generally, eyes, paired fins (pectoral and pelvic), mouth and abdominal portions are coloured.

The European Commission has announced its decision that formaldehyde used as food preservatives and foods containing formaldehyde will be banned from  July 01, 2015. Lawmakers in the state of Minnesota have decided that formaldehyde, a known cancer-causing agent, is too dangerous for children.  Products containing formaldehyde have been declared banned from being sold from August 1st, 2014, for manufacturers and August 1st, 2015, for retailers. So, why not in Bangladesh?

The government must have a firm commitment to wage a sustained campaign against those engaged in food adulteration and to establish our fundamental right to safe and nutritious food. For this to achieve, enforcement of existing laws under one umbrella need to be ensured. Promotion of ethical practices among the business community is also needed with active participation of the business leaders. The consumer rights groups should be more vocal and play active role in developing a mass campaign/movement in the country.

Source link: http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2014/08/26/52518

The writer is Correspondent of American International News Service. munna_tareq@yahoo.com

Threat from toxic poultry

by Tarequl Islam Munna

The use of tannery waste in poultry and fish feed poses serious health risks for consumers as hazardous waste has the possibility of directly entering the food chain.

Bangladesh's leather tanneries are notoriously filthy, exposing workers and the surrounding neighbourhood to toxic chemicals. And recent studies show that poultry feed produced from industry scraps may also be putting the health of millions throughout the country at risk.

"The whole nation is under threat as chicken and fish are the most consumed meat and also the cheapest source of animal protein," said Abul Hossain, a chemistry professor at the University of Dhaka, who led recent studies on how chromium, a tannery waste product, is transported into chicken meat. "This is extremely alarming."

According to the Bangladesh government's Department of Environment (DoE), tanneries in Hazaribagh, an industrial neighbourhood in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, emit around 22,000 cubic metres of toxic waste each day including chromium, sulphur, ammonium, and other chemicals.

The tanneries also generate as much as 100 tonnes per day of scraps - trimmed raw hide, flesh and fat - which are processed into feed by neighbourhood recycling plants and used in chicken and fish farms across the country.

Although the maximum recommended daily dose of chromium has not been established, a review by the European Food Safety Authority stated that a 60 kg person could tolerate up to 0.25 milligrams of chromium per day, and noted that carcinogenic chromium "hexavalent" (produced as part of the industrial process) should be kept 'as low as possible' in all foods.

"We have found chromium ranging from 350 to 4,520 micrograms [0.35 to 4.52 milligrams] per kg in different organs of chickens which were fed the tannery-scrap feed for two months," said Mr Hossain.

Cheap poultry is an important part of the diet in food-insecure Bangladesh. It accounts for 75 per cent of the national demand for meat and provides employment opportunities in both the formal and informal livestock sectors. A 2012 report by the International Food Policy Research Institute argued that expanded poultry rearing makes economic sense for Bangladeshi farmers confronted by land shortages.

Poultry feed, produced from tainted industry scraps, is attractive to farmers because of its rich protein content - and it's cheap, although they are aware of the risk of these carcinogenic chemicals entering the food chain.

A 2012 Human Rights Watch report documented appalling health conditions among tannery workers in Hazaribagh related to the chemicals they work with, including itchy, peeling, acid-burned, and rash-covered skin, fingers corroded to stumps, aches, dizziness and nausea and disfigured or amputated limbs.

But outside tannery walls an informal poultry feed business relies on the contaminated by-products of this toxic industry.

Anwar Hossain, who owns a makeshift recycling plant at Hazaribagh, explained: "We buy the raw hide scraps and shaving and buffing dust [chromium- and dye-impregnated waste products] from the tanneries, and soak them with lime before boiling them to a black-coloured paste."

He estimates there are around 60 factories like his that produce up to 30 tonnes of poultry feed per day. The demand for the scraps-made feed is overwhelming because the chickens grow very fast on this, and it is also cheap compared to other supplements available.

The production and distribution of this feed must be stopped. Truck-loads of this feed are being transported to different parts of the country. Clearly, we don't know which chickens are being fed with this.

In 2001, Bangladesh's High Court ruled that the government should compel the tanneries to install adequate means to treat their waste. However, the government has failed to do that. In 2009, the High Court ruled that the government should relocate the tanneries outside Dhaka or close them down - which has also been ignored.

"All the recycling plants are operating illegally as they do not have any licence. So this non-formal sector is difficult to regulate," said Mohammad Alamgir, monitoring and enforcement director at the DoE.

After local media reported on polluted poultry feed in May 2014, the DoE shut down six recycling plants. However, an unknown number of others continue to operate.

There is a murky chain behind this tannery-scrap feed, but this must be stopped.


Source link: http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2014/08/13/50176

The writer is a journalist, columnist and conservator, wildlife and environment.  munna_tareq@yahoo.com

Living with toxic tannery

by Tarequl Islam Munna

There are few signs of reform at Bangladesh's leather industry where business is booming thanks to the West's growing demand for cheap leather items.

Living with toxic chemicals, Mokter Hossain loads animal hides into huge drums filled with still more dangerous liquids at a tannery in Hazahribagh in Dhaka.

Barefoot and sick with fever, Hossain stops every now and then to cough, a legacy of the job that his doctors warn could one day kill him.

Hossain's tannery is one of 200 in Hazaribagh in Dhaka, where some 25,000 workers toil for as little as $50 a month to produce leather for shoes and other goods for stores in Europe and the United States.

Ramon Magsaysay Award-winner Syeda Rizwana Hasan blames a lack of headline-grabbing disasters in the industry that could make consumers think twice about where their shoes and bags are made.

Rizwana Hasan said,  "In these tanneries, death comes slowly." She referred to respiratory problems, cancers, skin diseases and other illnesses that doctors blame on long hours and few safety precautions.

"While Bangladesh garment disasters make headlines across the world, the even more terrible conditions at the tanneries don't," she added.

An Agence France-Presse (AFP) reporter recently saw children as young as 14 working inside one tannery, whose floor was awash with chromium effluent and where cow and goat skins caked in salt were stacked in piles.

WASTE DUMPED IN RIVER: In Hazaribagh, the environmental and public health costs of the growing industry are on full display.

Every day, the tanneries collectively dump 22,000 cubic litters of toxic waste, including cancer-causing chromium, into the Buriganga, according to the environment ministry.

Nearly 200,000 people live in Hazaribagh including on the banks of the Buriganga, recently voted one of the world's most contaminated rivers by a New York-based environmental group.

The area, once a pleasant, semi-rural district, has been transformed into a patchwork of toxic swamps, garbage landfills and mountains of decomposing leather scraps.

Dozens of small recycling plants burn the scraps to produce fish and poultry feed -- a flourishing offshoot of the industry. Black smoke covers the sky and there is a stench in the air.

GOVERNMENT APATHY: "The department of environment and the department of labour inspectors hardly make any inspection there. The reasons could be political as the government doesn't want to upset the business community," says Rizwana Hasan.

The government concedes tanneries are breaking environmental laws, but favours persuading, rather than forcing them, to improve, while debate drags on about who would bear the cost of any move.

"The tanners do not want to relocate, they want to stay here. They make excuses so that the relocation is delayed," Munir Chowdhury, a former director at the department of environment, said AFP.

Source link: http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2014/06/01/37046

The writer is a  journalist and environment activist.  munna_tareq@yahoo.com

The Awesome Firefall of Yosemite Park...

Waterfalls are awesome, but the Firefall of Yosemite Park is definitely
something you don't see every day, literally Horsetail Fall is one
of the most beautiful waterfalls on the North American continent,
but it's only truly special for two weeks a year. The first firefalls of
Yosemite Park were man made. Large fires were started atop Glacier Point
and the red-hot embers were pushed down the granite wall,
in the evening. It was a nice show of fireworks
until the fire hazard of the 1960s, when the dangerous practice stopped.

But that didn't mean Yosemite was left without a firefall, if anything,
people got to discover a much more beautiful one. When the
natural conditions are just right, tourists can enjoy a unique
spectacle where water turns into burning fire. During the last two
weeks of February, when the sun shines above Yosemite Valley,
and water pours down the granite wall, the firefall phenomenon
takes place. But because clouds and storms are common during
the winter months, and sometimes California has dry years,
Horsetail Firefall can only be witnessed rarely, and timing is
of the essence.

Most Beautiful Botanical Gardens In The World

Here’s the list of most beautiful Botanical Gardens in the world.
As we know, we all need plants in this world. Some people in the world
do farming and gardening in the world for their life.
But some of them use plants for relaxing and fun. One of the
interesting part of plants is botanical garden. Most of country
in the world have their own botanical garden. We can enjoy
the beauty of the botanical garden while we can learn about plant.
Let’s take a look at the most beautiful botanical gardens in the world.


Sans Souci Potsdam, Germany

Frederick the Great of Prussia built rococo palace along with
its botanical garden as a summer place, where he could live
without a care. Sans Souci has a feature like Statue of Roman emperor,
decorative sculpture, various flowers and a luxury Chinese tea house.


Sourhead Warminister, England

To the English aristocracy of the 18th century, something
more classic could be better. Stourhead is a grand example
of polite fascination with the past.


Villa Ephrussa de Rothschild, France

It is filled with olive trees, lavender and other flower.
It’s a short garden, with the statue that’s too large to be displayed
at the villa. The garden is filled with flowers from Spain and Japan
also that make up this garden become exotic.


Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C

You may feel as you have entered the Merchant-Ivory set in
one of the gardens that make up this estate at the north end of
Georgetown, one of the best Washington neighborhood.



Villa D’Este, Italy

Villa d ‘Estewas is decorated with one of the most interesting
and complex fountain park in the world. It has avenue with
hundred fountains, where the heads of animals, flowers, lilies,
a small boat, groove, and all the water gushing forth.


Butchart Gardens, British Columbia

Butchart Garden is a fascinating example of a successful
reclamation project. It spread to 22 hectares area that filled
with 700 Kinds of plants that bloom from March until October.


Descanso Gardens California

Only 20 minutes drive outside Los Angeles you’ll find a rural paradise
with more than 100,000 plants and one of the world’s largest collection
of camellia. The gardens and wood from Descanso revealed
in more than 65 hectares of hilly San Raefel. You can use
this botanical garden as agriculture guide also as various
of plants grow here.


Singapore Botanic Garden

Considered as one of the world’s most beautiful botanical garden,
the Singapore Botanic Garden was founded in 1859. It is on 128 hectares.
The National Orchid Garden located in the middle,
on the highest point of the park, where more than 60,000 colorful orchid blooms.



Versailles, France

Versailles Garden in France is 101 hectares garden that riddled
with paths that lead to flower beds, quiet corners decorated
with classical statuary, ornamental lakes.

Working in Salt Mining..

A salt mine is an operation involved in the extraction of salt
from rock salt or halite, a type of evaporitic deposit. Areas
known for their salt mines include Kilroot near Carrickfergus,
Northern Ireland (over 100 years old and more than 25 km of passages),
Khewra in Pakistan, Tuzla in Bosnia, Wieliczka and Bochnia in Poland,
Hallstatt and Salzkammergut in Austria, Rheinberg in Germany,
Slănic in Romania, Provadiya in Bulgaria, Avery Island in
Louisiana, United States, the wich towns of Cheshire and Worcestershire
in England, and the Detroit Salt Company's 1,500-acre (10 km2)
subterranean complex 1,100 feet (340 m) beneath the city of Detroit.
The Sifto Salt Mine in Goderich, Ontario, Canada is one of
the largest salt mines in the world. It measures 1.5 miles (2.4 km)
wide and 2 miles (3.2 km) long.