Syed Faruk Hossain: Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adviser on Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Water Resources of Interim Government, has taken a strong position against using the polythene bags. According to earlier instructions, polythene bags cannot be kept in any super shop in the country from Tuesday. Jute or cloth bags should be used instead. From November 1, activities to stop the use of polythene have begun in 10 raw markets of Dhaka. Nationwide raids have also been announced against polythene producers. Meanwhile, it has been requested by the super shops that customers should bring their own bags to shop. There is no disagreement about the environmental disaster caused by the widespread use of polythene bags. In the context of the long-standing demands of the country’s environmental scientists and environmental activists and real crises such as pollution of rivers and streams around Dhaka city, water logging in light rains, sewage system becoming immobile, the previous government banned the production, marketing and use of polythene bags, but those concerned in the implementation of the law.

The use of banned polythene is increasing due to failure. The current government has banned the use of polythene. It is a timely, practical step. The current government is getting praise for this. As polythene bags have become an inevitable reality in our civic life, the environmental and environmental impacts caused by polythene bags have pushed our urban system to an inevitable disaster. In the last 22 years, the indiscriminate use of polythene has not decreased due to lack of proper enforcement of laws. Currently, there is no enforcement of this law even though polythene is openly used in the markets. However, the government has announced a nationwide crackdown on polythene producers from November 1. Welcoming their initiative, environmental experts are waiting to see its quick implementation. According to media reports, the more surprising thing is that 1 crore 40 lakhs of banned polythene is being produced in about 3000 factories across the country including the capital. Most of them are centered in old Dhaka. According to experts, the amount of polythene and plastic waste generated in the country every day, in many countries it is not even in 10 months. Meanwhile, according to World Bank statistics, 64 percent of people in the capital use polythene bags. Out of that, more than two and a half million polythene bags are thrown away every day in Dhaka city alone. As a result of such indiscriminate use of non-biodegradable and destructive polythene, especially during the rainy season, sewage drains, drains, sewers, canals, bills and rivers are filling up and water is being polluted in cities and towns. In 2023, a statistic showed that a family in Dhaka city uses an average of five polythene bags per day.

According to that, about two crore polythene bags are being thrown away every day in Dhaka city alone. The use of tissue bags is constantly increasing as many people use them as cloth because they are of different colors and thickness. Tissue bags are non-perishable. This item is thrown away after use. This gets stuck in the drain and causes flooding. Due to the use of tissue bags, the entire country, including the capital, is facing an environmental disaster, environmental analysts said. Polythene was banned in the country in 2002, but it has not been implemented in 22 years. The once remarkable discovery of plastic has now become a nightmare of environmental pollution. Its misuse and inadequate waste management have negatively impacted ecosystems worldwide. Meanwhile, the ocean has become a huge reservoir of plastic waste. And by this the marine life is being disturbed.  This plastic pollution poses a huge threat to marine animals, as they often mistake plastic for food or otherwise entangle their bodies with plastic. Plastic waste pollutes the soil and harms both biota and flora due to the harmful chemicals it contains.

In addition, plastic pollution disrupts soil fertility, hampers agricultural productivity and disrupts ecosystem health. The burning of plastic waste releases various toxic substances into the environment, causing air pollution and subsequently increasing the level of respiratory diseases. The most frightening aspect of plastic pollution is its longevity. Plastic takes many years to decompose and after many years it breaks down into tiny particles called micro plastics. Micro plastics are less than 5 millimeters in size and are now everywhere, from the bottom of the ocean to the air we breathe. These tiny particles enter our bodies through the food chain and pose various health risks. A healthy environment is the harmonious form of every element of the environment. Failure of this harmonious form leads to environmental pollution and degradation of natural levels of the environment. Environment can be polluted due to various reasons. Apart from natural causes, man-made factors are also responsible for this. Environment has two types of elements:- 1.  Non-living matter 2. Living elements Non-living elements of the environment - soil, water, light, air, reservoirs, rivers, seas, oceans, mountains, glaciers, deserts, atmosphere, barosphere, clouds, moon, sun etc. and living elements of the environment - The natural environment is made up of plants, animals, micro-organisms etc. In this environment there are man-made environments such as houses, villages, high-rise buildings, educational institutions, hospitals, roads, bridges, dams, motor vehicles, railways, aircrafts, rockets, steamers, brickyards, electricity, industries, internet, Refrigerators, air conditioners, shipbuilding, armaments, nuclear Furnace etc. So our beautiful environment has been created by combining both natural and man-made environment. Every living and non-living element is very important for a balanced environment. Any major change in any of these elements due to physical, chemical and biological causes has an adverse effect on the overall environment and causes environmental pollution. Due to the ignorance and uncontrolled behavior of people, the environment is getting polluted and the biodiversity is under threat. Polythene  and plastic wraps are being used every day to wrap our daily necessities and after using these products, the polythene and plastic wraps are thrown into drains, roads, fields, rivers, canals and crop fields as waste. Polythene is the only material, it has no use other than to carry or package the product. On the contrary, there are numerous harmful effects. Even polythene is the only material, by which a country can be destroyed. Polythene is what slow poison means. Polythene is slowly dragging people to death. Polyethylene poses complex health risks from its producers to its marketers and users. Polythene is made of a material which is not at all good for the environment. Poison phenol is released from it and gets mixed with food. Polythene does not mix with soil. As a result, soil fertility is lost. Polythene thrown in the dustbin enters the drain along with the rain water, resulting in water logging. Polythene accumulates in the riverbed and fills the river bed. The soil is losing its originality due to polythene and plastic wastes falling into the soil and any physical structure built on these soils may weaken the physical structure.

In every house in the village, after sweeping, the wastes such as the shells of the cutters, the useless parts of the fish, the house and the yard are thrown into a specific pit and after a few months the farmers use it as organic fertilizer for agriculture. Polythene and plastic waste drains, rivers and canals are obstructing the drainage of waste water and the canals and canals are obstructing fish farming. Due to the easy availability of polythene bags, in urban areas, kitchen scraps, fish scraps, food scraps and household garbage are filled in polythene bags and thrown in dustbins or roadsides. The said wastes are kept in polythene bags causing a noxious stench or spreading around and causing harmful effects to the surroundings including pedestrians. By implementing a good waste management system, the above waste products can be separated from polythene and plastic and disposed of in specific places; it is possible to produce high-quality bio-fertilizers from the waste products. Using polythene bags can lead to more complex diseases including skin diseases, cancer. In medical science, polythene bags are known as skin disease agents. If fish and meat are wrapped in polythene, after some time radiation is formed in it and the food becomes poisonous. Cadmium for dyeing polyethylene is very harmful to human body. Cadmium has been banned in developed countries. Risk-free thick paper is used for refrigerated or normal storage. Moreover, the current problem of infertility in our country is due to the harmful chemical effects of polythene. Capital residents do not get clean water from WASA.

Surprisingly, polythene is also largely responsible for this. The Buriganga is severely polluted by non-biodegradable waste including polythene. Water of the Buriganga has long been poisoned by various types of chemical waste. The stench is in the air. An 8 feet thick layer of polythene is frozen in the river bed. However, environmentalists say other factors besides polythene are responsible for this. But the role of polythene is not less. Even where polythene bags and plastic products are produced, gases harmful to the human body are constantly being released, which are mixing in the atmosphere and posing a serious threat to the environment. Meanwhile, the environment is being polluted like polythene by tissue bags. Although polythene is one of the causes of environmental pollution in the country, tissue bags have been added to it. Oven poly propylene is being used to make plastic products as well as tissue bags.  The use of paper and jute bags can save us from the horrors of polythene. Jute bags are eco-friendly. There is a need for mass media (radio, television, newspapers) along with extensive government surveillance to stop the production and marketing of polythene. In this way, after making the harmful aspects of polythene visible to the common people, effective measures should be taken regarding polythene and plastic waste by enforcing strict law.

The writer is Former Registrar, BSFMSTU