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Category: Feature

Rivers in Bangladesh ‘Comatose’
Ashik Rahman: The locality and government are neglected to be responsible for the relentless degradation. As a source of livelihood, communication, and heart of people in Dhaka had been determined to the Buriganga River but now it’s a major source of running the capital. This happens due to pollution and building illegal property by robbing. So, now Rivers in Bangladesh is in ‘Comatose’
Along with Buriganga, Turag, Shitalakkhya, Balu and Bangshi is being a death trap for increasing pollution and also indiscriminate sand lifting. The minimal level of dissolved oxygen (DO) required for life to survive in these rivers do not have.
Researchers of The Department of Environment (DoE) had been an alarming message on levels of DO in these rivers after three months of research. They have analysis on various samples of a chemical whose were collected from these rivers and the levels of DO in Buriganga, Turag and Bangshi were 0.38, 0.59 and 0.0 milligram per liter gradually.
According to the Environment Protection Act (Amendment) 2010, the minimum required level DO is 5 mg/l for any water body to sustain aquatic species including fishes and others is. The minimal standard rate for water being eligible for treatment as drinking water is 6 mg/l.
Contacted with Environment Expert Dr Ahsan Uddin Ahmed over the phone, he said that “such a DO merge amount in water poses severe great threats to biodiversity and hydro-ecology”. “Random dumping of waste has put the rivers in and around the city in a blackout”.
Professor Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) said that the government ought to shift the tannery diligence from the Hazaribagh, Dhaka. The chemical waste from the tanneries is a major polluter of these rivers. It’s important that The DoE research had been found that the level of DO at the Hazaribagh area of Buriganga River was 1.06, 0.50 and 1.0 mg/l in January, February and March gradually. And the Bio-Chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) is also very high in these waters.
September 16, 2014
Wild Animals Extinct from Mymensingh
Johirul Haque: Wild Animals Extinct from Mymensingh creates panic. Most of the species of wild animals have now become almost extinct from five districts of greater Mymensingh region. Absence of the implementation of laws for safe-guarding the animals, indiscrimination killing of animals, careless use of pesticides, felling of trees, burning down and clearing of bushes and hedges and drying up of aquatic habitat are the main reasons behind the depletion of the wild animals.
There are hilly forests best known as ‘Garo Forests’ mainly in Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Sherpur and Netrokona district.
There were also numerous small jungles and vast wetlands in the Mymensingh region. Each of the said geographical factors has contributed to the sustenance of different kinds of wild life both big and small in the region.
Many kinds of animals including leopard, wild buffalo, cow, hog, cock, peacock, spotted deer, jackals, goat, and wild cat; mongoose, red mouth monkey, black mouth baboon, porcupine, squirrel, hare, pangolin, and bobcat, etc were seen in Mymensingh and Madhupur Forests in the past. Even only three to four decades ago, many of the wild animals were available in the forests and jungles, said Divisional Forest official sources.
Besides, a large number of birds including hawk, kite, vulture, mynah, nightingale, swallow, owl, pigeon, dove, skylark, sparrow, woodpecker, parakeet, different varieties of martin, dove and king fisher were available in the forests.
There were also different varsities of reptiles and snakes including python and poisonous cobra, different varieties of frogs, numerous varieties of environment-friendly worms including earthworm, ant and white ant, different kinds of butterfly in forests of Mymensingh region.
Forest in greater Mymensingh region are shrinking fast due to indiscriminate cutting of trees, the encroachment of forestlands, use of forest land for rubber gardening and raising fruit orchards, officials said
The number of these wild animals has greatly reduced in the forests following the food crisis due to the unusual decrease of trees and plants in Madhupur and Bhaluka Sal Forests.
Contacted, Md. Moyeen Uddin Khan, Deputy Conservator of Forest in Mymensingh said that there are about 71,000 acres of government reserved forest in greater Mymensingh. Out of the total land, 29,000 acres of forest land have been grabbed forcibly and the occupied land is being used for banana and pineapple cultivation, said the official.
For preservation of wild animals, the government has taken initiatives including making fruit orchards, plantation of medicinal plants needed for wild animals. The local people should be made aware of the importance of wild animals needed for a balanced environment, the official added.
The writer is a journalist. He can be reached at E-mail: [email protected]
September 23, 2013
Light-trap Technology to Help Farmers
Johirul Haque: Light-trap, an environment-friendly method to detect harmful insects is helping hundreds of farmers in different areas of the Mymensingh during this ongoing Aman season. The farmers are getting benefits from this technology and they are very enthusiastic to use it, said Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) officials here.
The DAE sources said they have taken the programme throughout the district with a view to detecting the harmful insects in the Aman fields and to use the insecticides accordingly to save the crops. The very low-cost technology is also helpful for the ecological balance, said the officials.
In many cases, the farmers use insecticides indiscriminately without knowing about the proper insecticides to kill the harmful insects and the farmers have to cost more money, said the officials adding “indiscriminate use of pesticides also kill the useful insects, endangering the environment”.
Around 2625 light-traps have already been set up at 525 blocks in 12 Upazilas of the district.
Narayan Chandra Basak, Deputy Director of DAE told this correspondent that light- trap programme has been implementing in the district for last few years to help the farmers to manage pest effectively with low-cost. This year we gave more emphasis on the programme, he said.
During September and October, the farmers face serious pest attack every year and they have to cost more money using pesticides indiscriminately for pest control, said the deputy director. He also said the farmers go for indiscriminate use of pesticides as they do not know what pesticides actually they need.
Over 2,58,955 hectares of land were brought under Aman cultivation in the district this year. This technology has reduced use of indiscriminate pesticides to nearly 50 percent as farmers’ response to this technology, said the deputy director.
The farmers are also learning about the harmful and useful insects through this technology and such identification is much needed for maintaining ecological balance, added the official.
I visited the method at the field level and it has got a very positive response from the farmers’ side, said the official.
The technology is easy to handle, so the farmers can carry it from one field to another round the season according to their need, sources said.
The DAE sources said they set up the light-traps at night using traditional lights, charger light or electric bulbs and a pot with detergent or kerosene mixed clear water and the pot is put under the lights to draw the insects. The insects fall into the water kept in the pot and thus the existence of harmful and beneficial insects in the field is identified, said sources.
Sources also informed that if the existence of harmful insects is found, agricultural experts render necessary advice to the farmers.
Contacted, Mahbubul Alam, Muktagacha Upazila Agriculture officer said, no harmful insects have been detected in the Upazila so far. He observed that light- trap technology is saving the Aman filed from harmful insects and helping the farmers to learn about an environment-friendly technology as well.
He also said this programme has been implementing in 45 blocks in 10 unions of the Upazila. This technology would make a positive impact in the field of agriculture benefiting farmers, hoped the official.
Hazrat Ali, a farmer of village Kandinau of Kumargata union in Muktagacha said, he was acquainted with the technology for the first time this year and he attained knowledge for operating the technology to detect harmful insects.
This technology will encourage the farmers and it will boost Aman production, hoped Hazrat Ali. The light-trap method has inspired hundreds of farmers of the district in the last couple of years and many farmers have been successfully using the nature-friendly technology to detect the harmful and beneficial insects, needed to reap a good harvest, said Mohammad Abdul Hannan, Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer.
The writer is a journalist. He can be reached at E-mail: [email protected]
September 9, 2013
Environment-Friendly Vermicompost
Johirul Haque: Environment-Friendly Vermicompost (an environment-friendly compost produced using earthworm) has created a positive trend among hundreds of farmers in Phulbaira Upazila of Mymensingh. The compost is very helpful for the farmers and the environment as well, sources said. The farmers need less money to make the compost and it is much cheaper than chemical fertilizers, farmers said.
Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh (CCDB) under its project Comprehensive Poverty Reduction Programme (CPRP) is running the Environment-Friendly Vermi-compost programme at Koyer Chala, Bakta, Enayetpur, Rangamatia, Kanchichura and Nischintapur villages in Phulbaria to make the rural poor women self-reliant through producing vermicompost
The Environment-Friendly Vermicompost can be produced easily at homestead using a cement slab ring or a big earthen bowl (chari) to keep the earthworms. Once the bin is ready, bedding materials like sand, small pieces of brick is put in it. The worms put in the bin are covered with a layer of bedding, gunny bags or other structure to protect the worms against sun, downpours, and birds. Twenty kgs of cow dung along with 20 kgs bio-waste like straw, hyacinth and vegetable waste are kept in the bin as feedstock for half-kg worms.
The amount of bio-compost what the earthworms eat up, they release its half amount as ‘tea dust-like’ stool which is called vermicompost. Later the vermicompost is separated through chaloni (sieving/straitening).
At the initial stage, a grower will get 20 to 25 kgs vermicompost after 45 to 60 days. But the harvest period is reduced when the worms’ number increases at the bins, said CCDP sources.
The surplus worms can be sold at TK. 1500 per kg. One kg vermicompost is sold at TK. 8 while the price of chemical fertilizer is much higher, said sources. Now some 200 women are involved in vermicompost production in Phulbaria.
In comparison with the chemical fertilizers, vermicompost is better as it has nutritive value for containing the soil fertility. It also helps the soil to grow plants even in the dry season, said CCDB sources. The vermicompost improves soil organic matter, maximizes retention of nutrients in the soil and maintains a balanced soil level, sources added.
Like many vermicompost producers, Jahan Ara of village Koyer Chala is producing vermicompost at her homestead. She started vermicompost production one year ago and now she produces around eight per month and sells it at TK. 8 per kg.
Fatema, another woman of the same village now earns around TK. 3000 per month. Fazila of Bakta, Aysha of Nischintapur while Hasina and Jamila of Kanchichura village started producing vermicompost, seeing Fatema’s success.
Talking to this correspondent, some farmers of Koyer Chala said, they use vermicompost in their bitter-guard and brinjal fields and received a good result than using of chemical fertilizers.
Anwar Hossain said, they needed a little amount of TSP fertilizers after using vermicompost this year and the production cost came down.
The farmers also observed less pest attack in their fields after using of vermicompost, farmers informed.
Debasish Kumar Dey, area manager of CCDB said, vermicompost will not only help to improve the soil condition, but it will also reduce the use of chemical fertilizer in a great deal. He also said DAE should include vermicompost in farmer training curricula to train the farmers on vermicompost so that they can produce and use it in their fields.
The environment-friendly vermicompost can also be an income-generating programme for the poor rural women, added the official.
Narayan Chandra Basak, deputy director of Department of Agriculture Extension here said this compost fertilizer is an ideal nutrient source for plants as it is rich with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium than other traditional composts and it is beneficial for the natural environment.
Environment-Friendly Vermicompost, also an excellent fertilizer for maintaining ecological balance can make the soil’s structure well for good production decreasing the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers, said the deputy director. The vermicompost can help to produce chemical-free crops, he said adding “when the plants are strong, normally they face less pest attack”. Dr. Md. Rafiqul Islam, a professor of Soil Science Department of Faculty of Agriculture at Bangladesh Agricultural University said, vermicompost contains organic matters and increases water holding capacity, improves soil structure easing the water movement and aeration into the soil.
The writer is a journalist. He can be reached at E-mail: [email protected]
August 31, 2013
Garbage Menace in Mymensingh
Johirul Haque: Garbage Menace in Mymensingh creates panic. As many streets littered with garbage, leftovers of household foodstuffs, Mymensingh Municipality has now turned a nasty town, creating a nuisance for the environment and the town dwellers as well.
The unbearable atmosphere is observed in many areas of the town including at Naha Road, Horikishore Roy Road, Kalibari Road, Charpara, Krishtapur and Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin Road of Shaheeb Quarter area.
More than 50 tones of garbage and filth are generated every day in the district town which covered a total area of about 22 square kilometers. The municipality belongs to class one status but its civic amenities are far below the expectation of its dwellers. So, Garbage Menace in Mymensingh is one of the issues.
Most of the streets, lanes and by-lanes often remain unclean for days together for lack of maintenance and clear. The number of dustbins in the town is not up to the demand, sources said.
There are some 306 dustbins put up across the town and these are seen always remain overflowed with garbage as these are not removed regularly.
The stench from these dustbins is simply nauseating pedestrians, creating the adjacent environment unfit for living, sources said. Only five tracks are stated to be in operation to remove the garbage and filths from the town. The trucks are too inadequate compared to the requirement, locals alleged.
The local people accused the municipal staff of negligence of duties in clearing the garbage and filths regularly. Repeated appeals of the residents to the municipal authorities to remove the piled up filths and garbage often goes unheeded, said Ashim Roy, a resident of Horikishore Roy Road.
Contacted, mayor of Mymensingh municipality Ekramul Haque Titu told to media that the authorities are trying their best to mitigate the problems created by ‘garbage menace’ in the municipality. Pragmatic steps will be taken soon to render a garbage-free environment in the town.
The writer is a journalist. He can be reached at E-mail: [email protected]
August 17, 2013
Indiscriminate Sand Lifting in Mymensingh
Johirul Haque: A number of important installations including the Mymensingh Town Protection Embankment, Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge and Muktijuddha Memorial are threatened due to indiscriminate lifting of sand and earth from Brahmaputra riverbed in the district.
According to sources, the government’s Mineral Resources Bureau in Dhaka authorized some traders to lift the sand and earth from nine-point of the river in Mymensingh Sadar Upazila. These are Begunbari, Goonti, Khagdahar, Jailkhana Ghat, Kachari Ferry Ghat, Kalibari Farris Ghat, Bridge Ghat, Boira Ghat, and Bhabokhali Ghat.
But the lessees belonging to different political parties including the ruling Awami League are lifting sand and earth indiscriminately, violating the terms and conditions of lease agreements, sources said. Such lifting of soil and sand continues throughout the dry season every year and such an indiscriminate act is harmful to the environment, said sources.
After taking a lease, sand traders choose the spots on their own to minimize cost and do not care to abide by terms and conditions, said Azizul Islam, a sand trader at Kachari Ferry Ghat.
Lease holders are using the dyke the day and night to carry sand and earth to different Upazlias of the district which is threatening the environment and creating massive erosion in the rainy season, said Abul Hasnat Shyamol, another sand trader.
After the visit at Kachari Ferry Ghat, this correspondent found that sand was being lifted indiscriminately from the riverbed between Mymensingh Collectorate Building and the Circuit house, very close to the town protection embankment. The earth cutting continues from morning till evening every day.
Three dredgers are being used at the said place through Water Development Board had no permission in this regard, sources said.
After lifting sand from the riverbed, a group of people carries it to different areas of the district by trucks, power tillers or tractors over the dike. The town protection embankment has developed rift at different points due to massive sand lifting.
The town protection embankment is under threat due to such indiscriminate activities of the sand lifters, said engineer Nurul Amin Kalam, secretary of Mymensingh Nagorik Andolon.
The authorities concerned are yet to take any steps to stop such activities, added the leader.
On contact, Chief Engineer of local Water and Development Board [WDB] Khoshi Mohan Sarker said, if sand collection continues like present rate, installations located between the Railway Bridge and Bangladesh China Friendship Bridge would-be affected. This could change the course of mighty Brahmaputra River in the near future, the engineer apprehended. He also said that planned sand lifting as per the terms and conditions and suggestions of WDB could be beneficial for the river and its environment. We will investigate the incident, added the official.
The writer is a journalist. He can be reached at E-mail: [email protected]
August 8, 2013