SANITATION LIMITED SUCCESS
Item
- Title
- SANITATION LIMITED SUCCESS
- extracted text
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Natural disasters wreaking widespread havoc
[> In 2001, of all disasters, 54.6 per cent were natural and
the rest were technological. Transport accidents accounted
for 30.7 per cent of the disasters
Worldwide, 22.8 million
people were internally
displaced in 2001 because of
conflicts and disasters. 43.7 per
cent of them were in Africa.
^Geopolitical conflicts take
away the importance of
sustained planning in risk
reduction from disasters
£> The number of people killed or affected by natural
disasters is on the rise. Disaster management is still not
included in the mainstream development plans. But better
preparedness in Bangladesh has reduced the number of
cyclone-affected people since the 1970s
j> Poor suffer the most as they live in disaster-prone areas
► Hydrogeological disasters take maximum
toll and cause maximum financial damage.
Though the number of episodes went down
between 2000 and 2001, deaths from them
doubled. The casualty list became much
longer due to the Gujarat earthquake
Death from disasters
(1992-2001)
1992
1993 1994 1995
People affected by
disasters (1992-2001)
Disasters and people affected in Oceania
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Years
Estimated damage by
disasters (1992-2001)
[> A marginal rise in episodes between 1970s
and 1990s has increased the number of people
affected exponentially. This, in spite of more
advanced technology in hand to predict climatic
changes. The trend is attributed to erratic
climatic
behaviour
and
people's
non
preparedness
j> It is clear that all future development plans
must include risk reduction factors. Disasters in
coastal areas only indicate a bleak future
Source: World Disasters Report. 2002, International Federation ol Rod Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Feature
Do you eat guava ?
Boiled egg and even bread ?
Zeenat Ara
The enviornment of the human
habitation in the north is changing
Editor
Atiur Rahman
24
25
Article
27
Analysis
36
Across the globe
Bibhutibhushan and nature
Mahboob Hassan
Associate Editor
Harunar Rashid
Mahboob Hossain
covering the evening sky
Dwijen Sarma
Executive Editor
Article
There's the nor'wester
Editorial Advisor
Mridula Bhaltachariya
Editorial Team
Novera Hossain, Rahela Rabbani
40
Mohammad Masud Hassan
Cover and Graphic Design
Mohammad Kamrul Islam
Hironmoy Chanda
Photography
Alok
42
Initiatives
46
Article
47
Article
Evolution of nature : marine life
Composition and Page Make-Up
Saiful Hasan
Rupa Sinha
Geometree of nature
Drawing
Quamrul Hasan
Face to Face
Yaqub Hossain
Tahmina Sultana, Mrittika Shahita
48
Books
Published by the editor on behalf of Unnayan Shamannay, 2/E/1-B Mymensmgh Road, Sahbagh
Dhaka 1000 and printed through Promotions, 66 Maghbazar Outer Circular Road, Dhaka 1217
at Enrich Printers 41/5, Purana Pallan, Dhaka 1000,
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Tk 1? nn
LETTERS
Let's save the birds
There are many species of birds which
are gradually becoming extinct. The
very common birds like Dove,
Cotton-Teal, Kingfisher and CrowPheasant cannot be seen easily. If it
goes like this, our next generation will
not see or able to recognize many birds.
A question to every conscious person of
the society- can't we help the birds? Let
us come together and save these birds.
K. M. Rahinoor Rahman
Member, Sundarban Watch Group
Shyamnagar, Satkhira
constantly getting cut down in the dark
of the nights. Since the huge trees are
being fell down, many species of birds
and animals cannot be seen any more.
Bidyut Baran Mandol
Mongla, Bagerhat
Keep Ramna Park clean
Many people come to Ramna Park in
Dhaka, riding their cycles and motor
cycles. People throw away empty food
packets and other garbage. It pollutes
the environment of the park. We all have
to get cautious and careful to keep the
park clean and beautiful.
Unscrupulous practices
around Kaptai Lake
Rangamati, one of the districts in
Bangladesh is a land of beauty. It is
surrounded by many hills. It looks like a
kingdom of heaven. The Kaptai Lake of
Rangamati is more beautiful. Many
people of Rangamati are dependent on
this lake for their livelihood. But now
the lake is under a threatening
condition. The water of the lake is
getting polluted with the garbage
thrown by people. One side of the lake
is being filled up for making truck
terminals. The surrounding places of
the lake are getting forcibly-occupied
for construction of hotels, houses and
even for big shopping plazas. Some
selfseekers are responsible for these
conditions. The Kaptai Lake would not
exist any more if we let it go like this.
Can't
we
stand
against
such
unscrupulous acts ? Each and every
individual in Rangamati should come
forward and protest to save this
picturesque lake.
Saikat Ranjan Chowdhuri
Global Village, Rangamati
The tale of Sundarban
Sundarban is much precious for
Bangladesh. The valuable trees are
2
Kashfia Safi
Dhaka
Why link rivers at all?
[ We have picked up this
letter for our readers from
Down to Earth, a science
and environment fortnightly
published from New Delhi.
India The letter highlights the
loopholes in the river linking
scheme and
argues that it
will eventually pollute the
rivers. ]
Interlinking
of
river
basins, the brainchild of
prime minister Atal Behari
Vajpayee
will
be
detrimental
for
the
national integration of our
country. The process of
linking rivers will delink
people of the states
covered in the scheme. If
sharing the waters of one
river-the Cauvery-can
raise such a huge conflict,
imagine
the
consequences that will
arise while linking several
river basins. Riots will
become the order of the
day.
People
habitually
^COFILE ; Dew-drops - how belter wash away world's dust
misuse water and electricity publicly. As
soon as water starts flowing in the link
canals, people will begin drawing from it
illegally. They will hook the power lines
to run pumps, puncture the canal and
put pipes below or breach the canals
recklessly. Equitable distribution will be
hampered and the regions will not be in
position to get their allotted quota.
Linking of river basins is not an
easy proposition. It is a large complex
programme of water management. It
involves technological, environmental
and legal issues. River water sharing,
therefore, has to be monitored by the
Union government with the help of the
army. But the vastness of the canals will
make it practically impossible to monitor
LETTERS SSSSSSS
the passage of water.
The economics of river linking also is
enormous. It would involve roughly
around US $104 million to US S125
million. We do not have resources to this
extent. Banks will hesitate to advance
financial help as recovery of loans from
the beneficiaries will be difficult.
The routing of the canals will also
eventually run into rough weather, as
there will be no consensus about the
course of the canals among the states
and people. The other contention is
pollution of the rivers. Ganga is one of
the most polluted rivers in the world.
Interlinking all the rivers will transport
polluted water from the Ganga to other
moderately clean rivers.
In the present context, considering
all the loopholes in the river linking
scheme, it is impossible to come to a
settlement on sharing of water. The
project will unnecessarily be delayed.
Instead if we opt for watershed
development
projects,
we
can
effectively harvest rain water. India
receives moderate to good rains (about
800 to 1000 millimetre every year). If we
undertake watershed development
instead of linking rivers, we can
comfortably survive with a minimum of
one crop and adequate drinking water
Please let us breath fresh air !
effective,
method
of
watershed development.
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh,
where people from other countries visit
for many reasons all the year round.
And
here,
we
the
people
of
Bangladesh, stay as rightful citizens.
Moreover, million others keep visting
this metropolitan city from various parts
of the country. But, the state of the
environment of this city is drastically
going down. Along with other pollutions,
air pollution is still there. The
lawmakers found only the two wheelers
and the old vehicles as the major cause
in creating pollution and hence banned
them. No doubt, it was a great effort
and definitely it had brought down the
pollution, but is it enough? What about
the other sources which cause air
pollution? As a matter of fact the Dhaka
Municipal Corporation do not pay any
heed to citizens' repeated appeal.
Everyone
face
these
problems
everyday and that causes various
diseases. Just to mention one of them
is the noxious condition of the ponds
located in the city. The one situated just
behind
the
Hotel
Pan
Pacific
Sonargaon. While crossing that area
the stinking smell comes out from
stagnant water. On one edge, there are
a cluster of poor people staying in a
make shift arrangement on stilt houses.
They relieve themselves on the pond
water. The wastes gradually get piled
up and decompose there. What is more
alarming is that the dwellers take their
bath, clean utensils, etc. in that water.
The water has turned into jet black and
is polluting the entire atmosphere.
There are a lot more examples of this
kind in and around the Dhaka city. Well,
isn't it the administration who will look
into these affairs? It's about time they
wake up and save Dhaka from
becoming uninhabitable.
Mallikarjun Shetty
Karnataka, India
Saiful Islam
Lalbagh, Dhaka
in the lean periods also.
Watershed development has the
following advantages:
® For watershed works, the cost per
hectare (ha) of irrigated
land is around Rs. 10,000
as against Rs. 75,000 per
ha in the river linking
scheme.
°
While
watershed
schemes
can
be
completed in five years,
linking of rivers will take
up to 15-20 years to
complete.
o Millions of labourers in
India will get employment
in watershed projects for
the next five to six years.
But as
canal
work
involves heavy machinery
or equipment, it is not a
labour intensive job.
to,
We
have
therefore,
give
up the
of
linking
false
notion
rivers and save money
and time by adopting the
simple’,
and
most
Dew-drops
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jECOFILE
3
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK SCS
It has become very difficult to move
around
Dhaka
comfortably.
Transportation system is under a great
threat. Traffic jams are a common
feature. Intoxicating smoke from the
year old vehicles make the air polluted.
The air pollution has come down a bit
after withdrawing the two stroke baby
taxis from the Dhaka roads. But the
traffic situation has again deteriorated
due to the unplanned import of
taxis and the old buses. The
digging of roads and thorough
fares is a continuous practice. Due
to the faulty traffic management
system, the traffic jams are
increasing.
The
endangered
environment of Dhaka is due to
these causes. It is very difficult for
our children to survive in such a
condition.
balancing the engine. There is also a
ruling in this regard passed by the High
Court. Practically, no one abides by the
rule and in the process air pollution is
increasing. To control the situation, a
well thought out import policy has to be
adopted. A committee should be
formed with the representatives from
the transport ministry, environment
ministry, the importers of old and new
entering a busy commerial area. This
may help keep some traffic away. Single
layer transportation system is, however,
of no worth in a mega city like Dhaka
where the number of inhabitants is
more than one crore and twenty lacs.
By 2015, Dhaka will become the fourth
largest city. We have to ask ourselves,
why have we not yet taken up any plan
to introduce underground or overhead
vehicles and the environmentalists. This
committee will formulate a common
agreeable guideline to be followed.
According to this guideline a law has to
be passed. This law will stop importing
mono railway system, or do not have
any design to construct umpteen
numbers of flyovers? Cities like Kolkata
and Delhi already have underground
railway system. People enjoy a more or
less hassle free city life and scores of
flyovers are coming up fast in these
cities. There are many other examples
to look at.
Concurrently, we must ensure that
more and more vehicles run on
compressed natural gas. For this we
need adequate budgetary sanction and
infrastructure. We also have to utilize
LPG and Ithanol. We have to import the
technology using solar energy to drive
vehicles. In brief, our planners have to
take the initiative of adopting modern
technical know-how and well-catered
mass transportation system to ease us
from the escalating problem. This ought
to be done immediately. There is no
time to question any more since we are
running out of time.
Every year 15,000 people die
in Dhaka due to air pollution.
The majority of them are
children. Thousaunds of
children are the victims of
various respiratory oriented
diseases. It is just impossible
to accept this situation.
It is learnt from a recent research
work that along with the old
vehicles, the commercial vehicles
which are being imported, are mostly
polluting Dhaka's environment. The
intoxicating fume from the taxi cabs and
human haulers are making the
atmosphere unlivable. It has been
found that the percentage of carbon
monoxide contain in most of these new
cars is more then 8 per cent, while the
level of acceptance is 4-5 per cent. The
level of hydro-carbon in the atmosphere
is 800 PPM, whereas it is supposed to
be at the level of 180 PPM. The
research, undertaken by the air quality
management,
Department
of
Environment, may be a matter of great
concern to the citizens. It is advisable
not to issue license to the organizations
that import old model vehicles and
endanger the life of the city dwellers.
The same study reveals that out of 31
diesel vehicles tested; only five had
their pollution level lower than that of
the level permitted by the government,
(75 Hz smoke unit). The levels of
pollution of the other vehicles were
alarmingly high. The rule, which goes
globally, is to fix a built-in-converter
4
£COFILE
vehicles
that
may
pollute
the
environment.
There must be some sort of
restriction for those importing vehicles
for private and personal use. The traffic
congestion will be a common and
regular feature for such a huge number
of cars plying in the limited number of
roads in Dhaka city. It is noticed that a
single family owns 3-4 private cars. To
restrain the tendency from purchasing
more than one car, it is suggested to
increase the duty and road taxes.
Three small cars occupy an area
equal to a bus. Whereas the number of
passengers a bus can carry is ten times
more than that of three small cars.
There should be more buses plying on
the road. If there are comfortable and
luxurious buses, then people will try for
those instead of their own cars. Extra
levy should be charged to the vehicles
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6^
LEADER
Sometime back, in a seminar entitled 'Safe Water and Sanitation', the minister for local
government, co-operative and rural development Mr Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan had said,
"so far nothing significant has been achieved regarding sewerage and sanitation, Though
we claim that 53% of our population has been brought under the fold and they enjoy the
facilities, but like most of you, I also doubt how many of them actually use proper
hygienic sanitation system. More gruesome is the scenario existing in the rural areas"
Those who are conversant with the sanitation and sewerage system of the country
will definitely agree with the comment made by the minister. In Bangladesh the usage
of water sealed latrine, both in urban and rural households, are 43% and 10%
respectively. If we include the ordinary pit latrine the percentage will increase to 61 in
the urban areas and 41 in the rural areas. Altogether the average is 43%. Another
worrying part is that only 14% of the households in the slum areas of the metropolitan
cities use sanitary latrine.
The sanitation problem has an affect on the expenditure in the health sector. Due to
improper sanitation, various diseases are caused. Hence a lot of money has to be
spent. A research article shows that the expenditure against medicine, doctors' fee and
the transportation expenses sums up to taka five hundred crores per annum. Only
hygienic sanitation and other related hygienic habits can reduce this cost.
There are also positive sides. Out of the above covered areas, there are several
places where hundred per cent inhabitants use latrine. One cannot ignore the part
played by the non-governmental organizations behind ensuring proper sanitation
system. In many areas volunteers or common people are implementing and expanding
this effort into the neighbouring villages.
Recently again, the gorvernment has expressed its hope that all the citizens of
Bangladesh would have access to overall sanitation facilities by the year 2010. So,
more efforts are underway.
In our cover story we have taken a closer look at the sanitation problem. The success,
in the real sense, has been limited so far. Hence we have called it a 'limited success’.'
The present issue is a combined one. But most importantly, Ecofile has got
altogether a new look along with full colour printing. We hope that the readers will
appreciate this innovative materialization.
.
;
Dew-drops - how better wash away world's dust
5
*1^
READER'S COLUMN
are very much interlinked with each
other We cannot imagine Bangladesh
without rivers. It's not only that they are
beautiful, they are also part of our
existence. We have to know about them
and understand their overall nature.
Therefore, we need to include a
substantial chapter on our river system
in the school textbooks, rather than only
having lectures and workshops
We get to know a bit about rivers
from the books of standard 3 to 6. The
composition titled “The Land of Six
Seasons" from My Book Part 3,
describes the characteristics of the
seasons and various conditions of rivers
and streams during summer and
monsoon. All the rivers and streams get
dry during the summer and are filled
with water again in monsoon The
chapter "Beautiful Bangladesh" in My
Book Part 4 gives a beautiful description
of the rivers of Bangladesh— "Alongside
the villages outlined with the shadows of
thick green foliage runs a small rivulet.
The water level of the rivulet falls during
summer time. The white sand glisters
through the clear water. Little boys and
girls use parts of their loin-cloths to trap
the fishes. The villagers take bath in the
water and the women carry pitchers to
fetch water from the riverside." The
chapter titled "My Homeland" in My
Book Part 5 depicts the harmonious
images of Bangladesh" "So many rivers
flow through Bangladesh. The people
and the rivers have a great kinship
between them. The Padma, the Meghna,
the Jamuna and the Brahmaputra are
the main rivers of this country. The
streams like the Tista, the Karatoa, the
Ichhamati, the Gadai, the Mahananda,
the Dhaleshwari, the Shitalaksha, the
Surma, the Karnaphuli, the Sangu and
the Matamuhuri are also there. Various
sorts of boats sail in these rivers and
streams. The songs like Bhatiali and
Sari remind us of the lasting bond that is
shared by our rivers and culture."
The chapter named "Our Country"
large rivers as well as small ones. The
large rivers are the Padma, the
Meghna,
the Jamuna and
the
Brahmaputra. Many of the small rivers
join the larger ones. Usually the rivers
originate from the mountains. The
movements of the rivers are marked on
the map and a brief description is given.
It also describes how a river erodes and
builds up its courses once again. It
says- “River flows in a zigzag manner.
and the sharp turns cause the impact of
the forces of water to create erosion.
Also during monsoon the force and the
velocity of the current increases and the
heavy pressure of water creates
erosion. Sometimes it affects the
villages situated on the river banks and
many villages get flooded and ruined by
the rivers. While erosion takes place on
one side of the river, it creates land on
the other side."
We get a brief description of the
country's main rivers, branches and
tributaries in the essay titled "The
Geographical Condition of Bangladesh".
As the main rivers like the Padma.
Meghna, Jamuna and Brahmaputra flow
towards the delta, they play a major role
in forming the land. The fertile plainlands
are created from the silts deposited by
the water of these rivers. The
geographical conditions and the
characteristics of the rivers are also
described emphatically.
The chapter six on “The National
Wealth" states the importance of the
water. The piece on "Private and the
National Resource" in Introduction to
Environment (Standard 5) describes
how are we benefited from the water of
the rivers, and streams. Therefore, we
must be cautious about not polluting
these water sources.
The composition "The National
Resources of Bangladesh" discusses
about the water resources as well as the
agriculture and forestry. It says- "Water
is one of the major resources of
Bangladesh. There are a large number
of
rivers,
streams,
lakes
and
waterbodies in Bangladesh. The Bay of
Bengal, situated in the south of
Bangladesh, is also an important
in the third part of the book
“Introduction to Social Environment"
describes Bangladesh as the mother of
rivers. It says— "Bangladesh is the land
of rivers and streams. There are many
resource.
The Bangla textbook for the student
of sixth standard is "Charupath". The
prose piece “My favourite Bangladesh"
in the beginning of the book gives a brief
The Rivers in textbook
As we know, the rivers and Bangladesh
6
£pOFiLE
Dew-drops - how better wash away world's dust
introduction to Bangladesh. As a river
based country the rivers of Bangladesh
have been described - "Bangladesh is a
country of rivers. Many rivers flow
through this land. The Padma, the
Meghna,
the
Jamuna
and
the
Brahmaputra are the main rivers. Then
there are streams and brooklets. They
have got beautiful and poetic names like
Karnaphuli,
Rupsa,
Surama,
Mahananda. Dhansiri, Chitra and so
forth.
The beauty of the rivers has
influenced our culture and heritage and
often gets mentioned in the poems. One
such poem is "I will come again” by poet
Jibanananda Das -
"I will come again
With languishing passion for the brooks,
greenswards and meadows of Bengal
On virescent wetlands
washed by broken water of Jalangt'
We also get the rivers mentioned in
the poems "Kapatakhsha Nad" by
Michael Madhusudan Datta and "Titas”
by Al Mahmood.
In the social science book of
standard seven, it is written— "All the
ancient civilizations grew up centreing
the river basins. Since Bangladesh is a
riverine country, we notice a great
influence of the rivers on it."
The geography book for the
secondary education describes the
sources of the mam rivers of
Bangladesh, their course and their
branches and tributaries. It also
discusses the river transportation
system.
In the science book of standard
eight, the water is mentioned as the
natural resource. It describes briefly the
main sources of water and the critical
situation arising from its scarcity.
We can see that there is no individual
composition on rivers excepting mention
of their names with very little descriptions
We cannot imagine the existence of
Bangladesh without rivers. So it is of
utmost importance that all the students
should know about the rivers as
elaborately as possible from their
textbooks. Can, we not design our
curriculum in that manner ?
Liton Kumar Sarkar
Water Resources Department
BUET. Dhaka
COVER STORY
SANITATION
4 limited
success
The cover story of this
issue is pertaining to
sanitation problem written
by Najmul Hasan.
He discusses briefly the
problems of hygienic latrine,
water supply removal and
disposal of waste
and arsenic.
A little bit of brainstorming will make one understand the alarming situation of the
problem and will overwhelm any citizen. It is nothing else, but the problem relating
to sanitation. Where shall we dispose off or dump the human waste of such a huge
population? Where shall these go? Due to these, the water is getting polluted,
diseases are spreading and there is a growing pressure
on the economy.
The actual periphery of sanitation or proper
hygienic dwelling is very pervasive. In a place
like Bangladesh, where the cruelty of poverty
is coupled with the spectre of illiteracy, if we
want to look at sewerage system,
Dow-drfJPJ--
wash away world’s dust
JCOFILE • 7
COVER STORY CSSSSS
availability of pure drinking water and disposal of garbage in
the cities along with proper sanitation, then what is the image
we get? It is quite alarming, especially in terms of sanitation
system.
Even in today's modern world, nearly 44% of the
thirteen crores. This means that on an average fifteen
hundred people live per square kilometer. Bangladesh is one
of the most densely populated country of the world. Here, the
daily average waste matter of this 'thirteen crore' population is
around thirty to thirty-five tons. This insufficiency in hygienic
INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITY OF WATER SUPPLY & SANITATION IN VARIOUS CITIES AND MUNICIPALITY AREAS
Water
Sanitation
Drainage
(Sewerage System)
Solid Waste
Different /Municipality
DPHE/Municipality
DPHE/Municipality
DPHE/Municipality
DPHE/Municipality
Dhaka
Dhaka WASA
Dhaka WASA
(Sewerage Drainage)
City Corporation
(on-site)
Dhaka WASA
(Subsurface)
City Corporation
(Surface)
City Corporation
Chittagong
Chittagong WASA
DPHE/City Corporation
DPHE/City Corporation
City Corporation
Rajshahi
DPHE/City Corporation
DPHE/City Corporation
DPHE/City Corporation
City Corporation
Khulna
DPHE/City Corporation
DPHE/City Corporation
DPHE/City Corporation
City Corporation
[Source: LGRDC, UNDP. UNICEF, WORLD BANK. 1994]
population in Bangladesh do not use latrine at all, and if they
do, they use stilt latrines. The sides of coppices, canals and
open drains are the places used to relieve oneself. Under no
circumstances, we can say that the stilt latrines fall under the
category of latrines. These stilt toilets are made by the side of
the canals, ponds or drains encircled with gunny or bamboo
walls.
In our country, as it is, pure or safe supply of drinking
water is limited, barring the hilly region, the presence of
arsenic in the tubewells, have made it even scarce. Along with
it, the grave picture we get regarding the sanitation system
makes the situation utterly vulnerable. Cleaning or removable
of garbage in the capital city of Dhaka itself is one of the
major issues.
The population of Bangladesh is somewhere around
Slum-Dweller's Latrine
On the rear side of Hotel Sonargaon and on the opposite side
of Film Development Corporation (FDC). is the Begunbari slum.
There are nearly 140 families who live here. These families stay
on bamboo framed scaffolds made on the canal. They do not
have any hygienic and healthy sewerage system. They use stilt
latrines (scaffolds made out of bamboo and surrounded with
gunny). The human wastes get dumped in the water of the
open canal. Two or three latrines are installed by the side of the
road. There are a couple of latrines in the middle of the canal.
Since the canal water is stagnant, the waste get piled up in the
canal itself, and a swarm of flies are seen around the living
areas.
Roksana (25), a housewife from this slum, works as a maid
in community centres. Her husband Nuruzzaman (40) is sick
and they are altogether four. She says that leading this kind of a
life is very painful, but there is no way. Mosquitoes, flies and
stinking smell are all part of their daily life. In this slum, there is
one latrine for every six families. The average number of
dwellers per family is five. Another slum-dweller uttered 'these
are all temporary settlements. The slum can be evicted at any
point of time; hence no permanent latrines have been installed.
The dwellers also do not have the ability to bear the cost of a
better latrine system'.
- zinat ara
JPOFILE
Dew-drops - how bettor wash away world's dust
ways of sanitation and sewerage system is due to the acute
level of poverty and illiteracy, which eventually leads to lack of
consciousness. Hence, the total environment of the country is
getting polluted making it more difficult to control water and air
borne diseases. Some examples of water borne diseases are:
diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, jaundice and so forth.
These diseases get spread very easily, due to the use of
open space and canals as a place for defecation. In
Bangladesh, hardly 53% of the population use water-sealed
latrine; 39% of the population use digged holes as latrine or
self made latrines. In water-sealed sanitation system, the
water is stored on the base of the latrines. Hence the bacteria
do not get mixed with the air and pollute it. In Bangladesh,
almost everywhere, one can get to purchase a water sealed
latrine fitted in a slab with 4-5 rings— both from the
government and private sources. The home made latrines are
diseases getting spread. The home made latrines do not have
During these 80 years, Dhaka has gradually transformed into
the system of holding water. Again, some people use stilt
a metropolis and now is the capital city of independent
latrines. These stilt latrines do not fall under any kind of
Bangladesh; but the pace of expansion and modernization of
sanitation system, as they can never be hygienic. Through this
the sewerage system is very very slow. Till date, only 30% of
system the human wastes get deposited in the open space,
area covered by Dhaka WASA is under the sewerage system.
drains or canals. So these stilt latrines are nothing else but
The people of the remaining 70% of the area do not enjoy
disease generating blocks. The waste gets piled up and rots,
such a system.
which
eventually
spread,
Contribution of SEMP in building up public awareness on sanitation
diseases. The existence of
these thousands of stilt latrines
Under the supervision and guidance of Common Water Supply and Sanitation Project
in the slums around the fast
(CWSSP), 1,820 organizations and watsan committees were formed at union and ward levels.
The total number of members of these committees is 16,309. Supported by the Ministry of
growing capital of Dhaka is
Environment and Forest and UNDP, this project started rolling from August 1999. The project
nothing else but a mockery. The
was implemented through Public Health Engineering. The project work is continuing in 5 unions
44% people who do not use
under the 5 upazilas of Dakop, Tajumoddin, Bhaluka, Madhobpur and Gangchar. These fall
latrine relieve themselves not
under the five districts of Khulna, Bhola, Mymensingh, Habiganj and Rangpur Training/
only in stilt latrines, but also in
workshops were conducted and were imparted to project officers, officers and general
bushes and open spaces. This
employees of Department of Public Health, NGO workers, private manufacturers of latrines.
data, has been derived from
WATSAN committee members (UP chairmen, members, school teachers) and to the local
leaders. Through the training and awareness campaign, 22 non-governmental sanitation slab
Public
Health
Engineering
manufacturing units have been set up. In order to expand the use of hygienic latrine system.
Department.
2,200 hygiene latrines have been distributed free to the comparatively poorer section of the
Sanitation does not only
inhabitants. The main focus of the project is to supply safe drinking water and implementation
mean usage of latrine. It
of durable sewerage system.
includes proper way of using it,
The main objectives of the programme are to supply of safe drinking water and invent
cleaning of hands hygienically,
sustainable sanitation system. Its immediate priorities are: ensuring need-based safe water
supply and developing mode of Implementation for the project, ensuring that the water supply
proper disposal of waste,
and sanitation services are well maintained involving the local bodies in the system,
positive attitude and appropriate
reorganizing the plan of action for the water and sanitation project based on experience and
measures. A latrine must be
campaigning at the national level.
hygienic and odour free. There
The project basically focuses on public awareness and infrastructural aspect. So far 42
are various projects
and
workshops were held to train the upazila public health officers and general employees.
programmes implemented both
members of union and ward level watsan committes, members of the Ansar/VDP, local
leaders, school teachers, health and family planning workers and the NGO workers.
by public and private sectors In
The total participants were more than 1,500 in these workshops. With a view to increase
different places of the country to
awareness, group discussions, campaigns, motivation at work at the household level etc. were
ensure this.
organized. The total number of participants taking part in these activities was more than one lac.
Barring the comparatively poorer section, this project has arranged supply of latrines to all
CAPITAL S SEWERAGE
other sections at a manufacturing cost. The beneficiaries have to pay 50% in advance along
SYSTEM
with the application. The balance amount has to be paid by 12 monthly installments. Through
this system, taka 3 lacs has been raised in the project implementing areas as a fund. Due to the
The sewerage system of Dhaka
awareness campaign, lots of families have started using hygienic latrines instead of going
is not up to the expectation. This
■ through the installment system
is not a recent problem. The city
Dew-drops - how better wash away world's dust
JCOFILE
9
COVER STORY S2SXSS
In this remaining 70% area, people use septic tank, pit
latrine, open latrine, etc. The areas like Mirpur, part of
Mohammedpur, Shyamoli, Kalyanpur, Mohakhali, Gulshan,
Baridhara. Uttara and nearly the whole of the northern part of
Dhaka city are not under the sewerage system. After 1923,
during the mid seventies, keeping in mind the then 12 lacs
inhabitants of Dhaka, the expansion of sewerage system was
made. In the last 3 decades the 12 lacs inhabitants have
become 1 crore, but nothing significant has been done in
expansion of the sewerage system. During this period, Dhaka
spread mainly towards the north, but this northern spread is
not covered under the sewerage system The sewerage.
designed for 12 lac inhabitants obviously can not shoulder the
present pressure of a large number of inhabitants This results
into overflowing
Scenario : Noakhali
of man-holes in
The report received from the office of the
the roads and it
Civil Surgeon says that 18% inhabitants
has
become
use sanitary latrines, 95% of the children
very common in
the
city.
are attacked by worms. The awareness
Specially in the
level amongst the people regarding
areas of old
sanitation is 20%. 80% of the diseases are
Dhaka,
like
caused due to inadequate sanitation
N a r i n d a ,
system.
B a n g s a I ,
Sutrapur. Islampur, Armanitola. Lalbagh, Siddique Bazar, the
much old sewerage system has broken down. The growing
number of skyscrappers are making the situation even worse.
According to experts' the insufficient sewerage system may
totally break down any time not being able to clear the waste
matter of an inflated population. As it is, a little rain causes
water logging in many areas of the capital. This stays for days
together and enters the sewerage lines, making the
environment of these areas unbearable.
The Water and Sewerage Authority in Dhaka has given
sewerage connection to 44,841 houses. The waste matter is
disposed into Pagla Sewerage Refinery Plant through a 631
km long pipeline and 23 sewerage lift stations. The sewage
goes through a refinery, and gets settled down in the lagoons.
It is then pumped and thrown into the Buriganga river. The
Pagla Refinery has a capacity of sanitating 1,20,000 cubic
metre of waste matter per day; but regular amount of
disposed and pumped off sewage aggregates to 10,00,000
cubic metre from the Dhaka city. It is not that this whole
volume ultimately get disposed at Pagla Refinery Plant. The
sewerage pipelines do not have the capacity to manage such
a volume and that is why a part of the waste gets overflowed
through the man-holes in different places. There is a brickbuilt
pipeline to Pagla from Narinda and Sayedabad. These
pipelines have developed lots of cracks through which the
waste also leaks out.
WASTE REMOVAL
The present infrastructure for removal of waste under the city
corporations and municipalities in the country is undoubtably
very inadequate. In the capital city, Dhaka City Corporation
faces great difficulty in removing 3,000 tons of refuse every
day. Piled up garbage almost everywhere and the stinking
smell from it is very common. In summer during the time of
mango and jack fruit, the daily waste goes up to 4.5 tons.
Along with this, there is the waste from the hospitals and
clinics. These hospital and clinic wastes are dumped
Activities of DPHE
The Departmant of Public Health Engineering working to eradicate the
problems of sanitation. The work is continuing in the rural, urban and
slum areas throughout the country. It is being implemented through the
city corporations,
municipalities, various
non-governmental
organizations (NGO) and other developing partners. The activities
include construction of sanitary latrines, encouraging the use of
sanitary latrines instead of stilt latrines, imparting technological know
how in constructing sanitary latrines and so forth. A project under
DPHE named 'Rural Sanitation' implemented which end in June this
year. Another project, worth taka 236 crore is implemented starting
from July. A total number of 28 projects are on-going nationally, with a
specific focus on building up mass awareness on sanitation, water
supply and health.
Recently, the government with the help of UNICEF and other funding
agencies has undertaken a few environmental projects along with
sanitation. One of them is called 'Municipal-Slum-Suburbs'. The
sanitation programme has been brought under this project. The
primary work of the project is in progress. It will cover the five city
corporation areas and ten municipal corporation areas. This includes
ten slums of the Dhaka metropolitan city. Md. Sadek Hossain, the
Executive Engineer of the project informed that the project will be
implemented through an NGO in each area with the help of the city
corporations and municipalities. The project will introduce proper
sanitation system in these areas and will construct community latrines
of 2, 3. 4 or 6 units.
10 ' fpOFILE
I
Dew-drops - how better wash away world's dust
COVER STORY
untreated in the wayside dustbins or containers. The total
number of sweepers of Dhaka City Corporation is around
seven thousands. They are appointed with various
responsibilities. The number of ward cleaners is 5010, 119 are
storm sewer cleaners, 909 truck cleaners, 283 are drain
cleaners, 444 are market cleaners and 90 container cleaners.
In the city's 90 wards, each ward has 50 to 100 cleaners. It is
alleged, that these cleaners do not turn up to their duties
almost for half of the month. Out of 252 refuse carrying
vehicles of the Dhaka City Corporation, on an average half of
them remain broken down. Recently, Dhaka City Corporation
in an experimental run has given out the responsibility of
removing the waste to a non-governmental organization. The
city waste gets disposed in two separate dumping stations at
Matuail and Mirpur. These two stations do not have any more
capacity to hold the waste. No new dumping station is yet
located.
lives, as they have no other alternative. Malnutrition,
diseases and untimely deaths almost becomes inevitable.
CHITTAGONG'S WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM
Chittagong- the second largest city of the country, also
experiences acute scarcity of water supply. The magnitude of
this problem is not at all less than that of the Dhaka city.
During the summer, this problem turns more critical. But
Chittagong's Mohora Water Treatment Plant is the largest one
of the country.
Chittagong WASA is given the responsibility of supplying
drinking water to the city; but it is only capable of meeting
34% of the total demand. The 36 lac population of Chittagong
CAPITAL'S WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM
Sanitation and water are very closely related. Sanitation
without safe water is something we cannot think about.
Ensuring supply of safe water to the one crore inhabitants
of Dhaka and Narayanganj is the responsibility of Dhaka
WASA; but how far WASA is successful in keeping up with
this enormous task? In both Dhaka and Narayanganj,
during the summer season there is a great scarcity of
water. Dhaka WASA has 400 deep tubewells and four
water treatment plants in order to supply water. The water
treatment plants are situated at Sayedabad and at
Chandnighat in Dhaka and Sonakanda and Godnail in
Narayanganj. According to the estimate given by Dhaka
WASA, it is only possible to supply 140-145 crore litres of
water everyday to Dhaka and Narayanganj. The daily
requirement of water is 160 crore litres. On paper, the
supply of water nearly meets the demand, but in reality the
supply of water in Dhaka and Narayanganj are much less
than the requirment Pumping of water from the deep
tubewells get disrupted due to low voltage and scarcity of
electricity. As informed by WASA, due to shortage of
electricity, the pumping of water from the deep tubewells
remain suspended for 150 hours everyday.
On the other hand one of the most alarming aspects of
water supply in Dhaka is that due to non-stop and regular
pumping of water from the underground sources, the water
level is going down by a metre every year As a result, the
amount of water being pumped from the deep tubewells
are becoming less, resulting in acute scarcity of water.
Referring to geologists, Dhaka WASA informed that, due to
the special ground condition of the city, there is no chance
of landslides, though, off taking or pumping of water from
underground is done regularly. The slums in the city do not
have any water supply connection and if they do have, they
are illegally done. Hence, safe drinking water for the city
slumdwellers is very scarce. Scarcity of safe drinking water,
usage of house made latrines or total lack of sanitation
facilities make the environment unhealthy. Effective
measures for supply of safe drinking water for the capital’s
slum-dwellers are yet to be taken. The slum-dwellers grow
up and continue to live in the slums for the rest of their
Dew-drops
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fCOFILE
11
COVER STORY
requires 50 crore litres of water every day; but Chittagong
WASA has the capacity of supplying only 17 crore litres of
water daily. The water supply to the city of Chittagong is also
dependant on deep tubewells. Every year during the dry
season the level of groundwater goes down resulting to a
severe crisis.
SOURCE OF SAFE WATER ENDANGERED
To lead a hygienic and healthy life, safe drinking water is one
of the essential ingredients In Bangladesh, safe drinking
water is difficult to obtain. When supply of safe drinking water
should have been ensured the people of Bangladesh, we see
the sources of water to be in great threat. After detecting of
arsenic in the deep tubewell water, it has become very difficult
to find safe sources for getting water.
Before the 70s, safe water sources were very limited.
Barring Dhaka a few other cities, the safe drinking water
supply system was not there For the greater mass water from
canals, ponds, rivers and a limited number of wells were the
only sources. It is unsafe to drink water from rivers, canals or
ponds, but for a long time the general mass of our country
used to think that the flowing river water was pure. As a result
cholera and diarrhoea used to sweep over the villages almost
every year. During this time, in the early 70s, shallow
tubewells were set up on a mass scale with support from
UNICEF. For the people in the rural areas, it became very
easy to get safe drinking water, but this privilege proved to be
temporary The water from these shallows turned to be a
curse. Though we do not know precisely since when arsenic
was also getting pumped with water from these shallows at a
harmful proportion, it was first detected in 1993. After sinking
shallow tubewells in the villages one after another the
government had declared that 97% of the population are
getting supply of safe drinking water. Once the arsenic was
detected, the government reduced this figure to 29% and
claimed that 68% of the population is within the reach of safe
drinking water. We can say that 32% of the population is
deprived from the reach of safe drinking water, while 3.5
crores of people are under the threat of arsenic infection and
they are still drinking arsenic infected water. The water
supplied to the metropolitan city of Dhaka from 400 deep
tubewells and 2 treatment plants do not carry arsenic. The
geologists believe that the water supplied in the capital do not
have any chance getting contaminated by arsenic, but the
water supply system is insufficient for the city. Immediately
after raising the water through deep tubewells it goes through
chlorination. It is then sent to the water treatment plant to get
purified. Up to this part, the water remains safe: but by the
time it reaches the consumers, its safety is questionable. Due
to cracks and holes in the water supply pipelines, water from
the drainage and even from the sewerage lines get mixed with
the drinking water supply. Hence, no conscious citizen of this
city thinks the supplied water to be safe. Most of the people
drink water after boiling it at home. Outside the house, they
drink bottled mineral water. Due do scarcity of safe drinking
water in the cities, bottled mineral water is precious- Tk. 20
for every litre. Along with the above problem, every year
during the summer there is a big scarcity of water in various
localities of the city. When WASA cannot pump-up water due
12
I jEfOFILE
Dew-drops - how better wash away world's dust
Average human waste accumulation in a village
Approximate number of households in a village
145
Households having hygienic sanitation
15
Households using open latrines or open space to relieve
130
Number of people using open latrines or ophe space
485
If daily faeces of a person weighs 800 gm, then
daily human waste measures 485 persons X 800 gm
388 kgs
Weekly it is 7 days x 388 kgs.
2,716 kgs
Monthly it will be 30 days x 388 kgs
11,640 kgs
Yearly it stands 365 days x 388 kgs
1,41,620 kgs
1.41.620 kgs = 3.631 maunds or 26 truck full
The village will accumulate 26 truck full of human waste in a year
Source: VERC. February 2002
to load shedding and disruption of electricity, the water supply
gets suspended in these areas.
In the hilly regions too, scarcity of safe drinking water is
wide spread. In these areas, sinking of tubewells is very
Ahsaniah Mission working on sanitation problem in
the coastal region and In the slums
Dhaka Ahsaniah Mission is working for the poor and
unoriented people by providing sanitation facilities and
creating awareness in the country's eight coastal districts.
The organization informed that, in the last 10-12 years, it
has succeeded in building up awareness regarding
sanitation amongst a few hundred thousands of people.
The Mission is working on village cleanness drive safe
drinking water, usage of sanitary latrines, arsenic and so
forth in the frontier villages of 28 upazilas under 8 districts
of greater Barisal and Noakhali. For operational purposes,
branches and sub-offices are developed in the village
areas, where training is imparted to the representatives of
these branches, so that they get a clear idea regarding
sanitation. These representatives trained by the Ahsaniah
Mission work along with the people. Community centres
are also built in the villages.
The activities of the Ahsaniah Mission include
propagating the necessity of usage of sanitary latrines,
encouraging people to use and install latrines, for which,
support is provided. The families, who are interested in
installing latrines are provided with loans, along with help
for installing family-wise and locality-wise latrines. From
1990 to 2000, 32,850 latrines were installed through loans.
Every family was given a sum of Tk 1000 as loan for six
months. A 7% service charge was levied on the loan
amount. The loan recipients repaid their loans through
weekly installments. The families who had no mony at all,
the Ahsaniah Mission helped them in installing the latrines
free of cost. Moreover those who did not have any idea of
the usage of sanitary latrines, were all made aware.
Recently, the Ahsanish Mission has taken up sanitation
programme in the slums of Dhaka. It started from June this
year. The Mission started working in the slums under ward
3, Avenue 5 of Mirpur 11. The programme of installing one
thousand latrines in these localities has been planned.
Gradually this programme will be extended to other slum
areas of Dhaka.
-Shamim Rahman
■ uci
COVER STORY t^S^Si
difficult due to hard surface. As there is an acute crisis of safe
drinking water all the year round, terrible prevalence of water
borne diseases as a regular feature.
There was also a report published regarding this problem
in the last issue of Ecofile.
ARSENIC SCENARIO
For Bangladesh, the specified level of
arsenic in safe drinking water is 0.5 mg
per litre. Barring the hilly region of the
country, the level detected in the other
parts is more than the specified level.
On the other hand, the Project Director
of the Department of Public Heath
Engineering informs that the World
Health Organization has relaxed the
specified
level
of
arsenic
for
Bangladesh, being a developing nation.
The safe level of arsenic is supposed to
be 0.1 mg.
In 1978, arsenic was detected in the
state
of West
Bengal
in
our
neighbouring country India. Long after
detected in one tubewell, the very next one beside it did
not bear any mark of arsenic. Hence detecting of arsenic
was a tough job. However there is no other way than to test
the water of each and every tubewell.
With a view to ensure Arsenic free safe drinking water
supply, other than treatment and purifying process, there are
four other technologies to be used Under the circumstances,
the sanitation problem has to be given much priority. Effective
Adieu Pinjira
Pinjira (26) the mother of three used to live in Mirpur village. This village is in the
Charghat upazila of Rajshahi district Her husband Masud (29) was a worker in the
rice-mill. She was unable to run the family with the small earnings of her husband.
So, Pinjira started working in a rich farmer's house, where she used to boil and dry
up the paddy. Other than that, she used to work as a maid in that house. With the
amount she earned from there, she used to feed her three children, often without
having food herself.
Pinjira first spotted some marks in her body in 1996 She had seen these marks
in others too in the village. One of the neighbours told her that this is on kind of a
skin disease and there is nothing to worry about. Pinjira believed in her neighbour's
words. But during the next monsoon more marks appeared on her body. Cracks
were noticed between the fingers of the hands and feet. While picking up anything
heavy the knee used to pain. The neighbours also got scared seeing her. Her
mother-in-law said, "you have leprosy; you will destroy my son" Then onwards
pinjira had to face a lot of adversities. Her husband Masud believed his mother and
started avoiding her, to the extent, he disagreed to take food and water from her
hand. Masud got married for the second time in June 1998. When the second wife
left him, he got married for the third time. Pinjira while persuading her husband
from not getting married for the third time was severely beaten up by her husband.
Pinjira fell seriously ill
On the other hand, the family where she used to work did not allow her to enter
their house. Since there was no work, starvation and family problems became
regular features. The villagers also did not allow her to take water from the
tubewells. She was prohibited from taking bath in the same pond the others used.
Two houselords drove her away from the marriage ceremonies in their houses.
During this period Nargis (22) a bold volunteer from the village came and met her
one nights Prolonged starvation, negligence and maltreatment had turned pinjira
as thin and dry as a piece of wood. Nargis offered help to take her to the hospital
the next day. At the hospital the doctors after checking her for a long time said that
she was infected with a deadly skin disease, and also with leprosy. The doctors
advised her to take some vitamins and nutritious food. But where would she get it
from?
The water Pinjira used to drink from the tubewell for the last 16 years was found
to be arsenic contaminated The level found was more than the bearable level. In
the same year two doctors from Nipsom visited that village and advised Pinjira to
get admitted at then Dhaka Leprosy Hospital.
A couple of villagers and Nargis took her to the hospital. The examinations
revealed that her liver had become inactive by arsenic. At this fag end. there were
many who came forward to help her. but it was too late. Three days before her
death, her inhuman husband physically tortured her. A good Samaritan bought her
some nutritious food and gave her Tk 1000 for treatment Her husband gambled
and drank with that money. Pinjira wanted to have a piece of meat just a fortnight
before her death Just before her death, she wanted to know from Nargis crying
that what would happen to her children when she is not there. Even today Nargis
remembers those words. She hardly could do anything for Pinjira's children.
this, in the year 1993, arsenic was
found in the shallow tubewells of
Baroghoria, a border area under the
Chapainababganj district. With the
initiative of the Department of Public
Health Engineering, sample water from
these shallow tubewells were brought
for testing to the Bangladesh Atomic
Energy Comission laboratories. But
even after four years there was no
effort to detect the shallow tubewells
nor there was any measure taken to
build awareness about the harmful
aspect of arsenic contaminate water. In
the process, till 1997, there was no
clear picture of the level of arsenic
contamination or about the areas
affected by arsenic. The Department of
Public Health Engineering informed
that no work could be implemented
regarding arsenic during that time, due
to lack of proper arsenic testing
instruments.
From 1997 to 2000, with the
assistance of UNICEF and British
Department
for
International
Development (BDID), the Department
of
Public
Health
Engineering
conducted two surveys. The reports
of the surveys are very alarming.
Water from a total number of 53.500
(M Mohiuddin. Source People's Report on Bangladesh Environment 2001]
tubewells was tested under these
initiatives have to be taken. We have to learn from our
surveys. It was found that in 61 out of 64 districts, the
previous experiences. It is not only the government or the
water of 268 upazilas carried more arsenic than the
NGOs. every citizen, irrespective of their age should come
specified level. Arsenic was detected at various layers of
forward.
the underground water. Interestingly when arsenic was
Dew-drops - how better wash away world s dust
jTcOFILE . 13
' US5.
COVER STORY
GLIMPSES
SCENARIO 1
On the south-western side of Dhaka is 'KAMRANGIR CHAR'
(sandy land rising out of the river). Madrasa para of
Asrafabad is situated here. In this locality, 25 daily labourers
stay in a mess, which has a stilt latrine situated over a
virtually dried up ditch.
Opposite to the ditch, there are two stilt latrines, between
a distance of 10 feet. The fences of these latrines are nearly
broken. These stilt latrines are used by members of 8
families and 20 daily labourers. Between these two stilt
latrines, there is a tubewell. These people collect their
regular drinking water from this tubewell.
A little far away, there is a slum. In this slum there are 30
families, who too are daily labourers. There are three stilt
latrines meant for these 30 families of daily labourers
Covered with corrogated tin sheets on the sides, these stilt
latrines are built on concrete pillars which work as the base.
The wastes from these stilt latrines are getting piled up on
the bottom, which is an open space. Close to this area is the
flood control dam.
SCENARIO 2
Munshihati is another locality of 'KAMRANGIR CHAR'. The
houses in this part are built with concrete or with bamboo
pillars. Some of the houses are of concrete, some with
corrogated tin sheets and some made up of hedges. In one
of the houses like this, two latrines have been made with 24
rings. The waste from one ring-well goes to the other. Each
of the ring-wells has 4 rings above the surface and 8 rings
under. There are two sizes of rings small and big. The big
rings cost Tk 70 each and the small rings are Tk 50 each.
Stilt latrines for the inhabitants.
The houseowner bought these rings from a place called
'Kholamura' on the other side of the river. One can get these
rings from Munshihati as well at a price Tk 100 each. The
cost of this particular latrine is Tk 300, which consists plastic
pan fitted to a slab. The latrine and the 2 ring-wells are
connected by few feet of plastic pipe. The pipe had to be
purchased at the rate of Tk 11 per foot
The tubewell in this house is situated nearly 20 feet away
from the latrine. The pipe of the tubewell had been bored
deep down to two hundred and twenty five feet. The owner of
the house informed that the tubewell water is being pumped
up from very deep. The depth of the ring-wells of the latrine
is less. Hence there is no possibility of the deep tubewell
water getting contaminated by the human waste.
SCENARIO 3
Kalunagar in Hazaribagh is little to the north. The lines of
houses are similar to that of a barrack. Every file consists of
seventeen small family units. The houses are on scaffolds
made out of bamboos over the ditches The monthly rent of
each of these houses is Tk 400. Electricity charges are
included with the rent. Each house has four ovens. The
cooking is done serially. There is a single deep tubewell for
the whole lot of families. The deep tubewell has been drilled
deep inside the ground in the ditch itself. The inhabitants do
not know, how much deep the tubewell is. Within a distance
of twenty feet from the tubewell, nine stilt latrines are
situated in a row. These are on the top of the ditch. Each stilt
latrine is walled on three sides with bamboo strips thatched
with leaves. The human waste from these stilt latrines, fall
onto the ditch below. On the other side of the ditch, the
houses are located.
NO SOAP AROUND FOR HANDWASHING
Around the stilt latrines, nothing like soap or ash was found,
with which people can wash and clean their hands after
relieving themselves. While discussing this, it was noticed
that these inhabitants are least bothered about the issue of
washing and cleaning their hands after relieving. Some of
these inhabitants are not at all aware of this. Others do not
have the capacity to purchase an extra soap for washing and
cleaning their hands after using the latrine
The coexistence of stilt latrine and tubewell.
14
fCOFILE | Dew-drops - how better wash away world’s dust
COVER STORY
SOME VILLAGES / HUMAN
HABITATION AREAS OF
BAGMARA-MANDA USE LATRINE
There are quite a few initiatives in the country with the aim of ensuring cent percent use of latrine.
This Ecofile report focuses on one of these activities. The report has been written after visiting the
villages of BAGMAFIA in Rajshahi and MANDA in Naogaon.
It took only Tk 17 and a day's labour to build a latrine.
There is no stinky odour coming out of it. Again, there are
latrines, where the expenses to build them were Tk 50
and some Tk 175. At the beginning it was something not
at
all
Table
believable.
Percentage of population with
Later,
after
access to sanitary latrines
physically
(water seal and pit latrines)
visiting
Populations in
1990
2000
BAGMARA in
Rural areas
27
44
the district of
Rajshahi and
Urban areas
78
82
MANDA under
Total
37
53
the district of
Source DPHE. Bangladesh.
Naogaon, we
found it to be true. This was made possible with the help
of 'Village Education Resource Centre', which is more
commonly known as VERC. The initial effort was actually
taken by the local inhabitants of the villages. Gayatri, wife
of Kartick Chandra, a resident of a locality called
Dighipara in the village of Sayedpur under Bagmara
police station told us that her homestead
measures 4 decimals. The house is made up of
mud. The boundary wall is also made of mud.
They had built an attached toilet in November
2001. To build this latrine, they had spent Tk
175 only. It was their money and not any kind of
subsidy. The latrine has a plastic pan and the
pan is connected to the pit with a plastic pipe.
There is soap on a soap case at the corner of
the latrine. There is a pipe situated over the pit,
which works as the outlet of the accumulated
gas in the pit.
In the same village, Amulya Charan Gayen
has eight bighas of agricultural land. He has a
pond. The area of this pond is one acre and
twenty-seven decimals. The area of his housing
is six and a half decimals and an orchard
measuring one bigha. Amulya Gayen had built
a latrine two years back. The cost incurred was
Tk 225 plus physical labour. The latrine was
found to be clean and tidy. To wash the hands,
soap is kept at a corner. No organization had
funded him nor given him any credit.
Rehana, from the same village, had built a
latrine in 2001 incurring a cost of Tk 190. She is a
member of the Village Health Development Committee.
Rehana and her husband Dumon Mandol have two
children. They have an agricultural land of six kathas and
homestead area of 3 decimals.
More or less this is the picture of every household in
the Dighipara locality in Sayedpur under Shubhodanga
Union. The number of households there is seventy-four.
When the sanitation programme was first implemented,
seventeen households had their latrines. In the month of
August 2000 VERC along with the villagers made a
general assessment. This voluntary participatory
programme made the villagers realize the importance of
building latrines. They understood the necessity of
latrines and what would be the problems if they did not
have the any; hence they felt motivated to build latrines.
Every household of Dighipara now has latrines. Twelve
latrines are used by seventeen households. Due to the
shortage of space and other problems in building latrines,
several household members use a single latrine The
remaining households have their own latrines.
Dew-drops
how belter wash away world's dust
__.
£COFILE
15
COVER STORY
Dighipara. with a one square kilometre area, has one
non-governmental primary school. There are projects by
NGO's like BRAC and ASHA in Dighipara. The metalled
road is situated five hundred metres to the north of the
settlement area. A little more towards the north, nearly a
kilometre away is the market and nearly five kilometres
away, there is a small river. There is also a pond some
one and half kilometre away from Dighipara. The female
population of Dighipara is one hundred and fifty-four and
male population is one hundred and forty-eight. The
number of television sets in the village is two. No one
buys a daily newspaper. Here the number of self
designed and self made latrines is eighteen. Other than
this, the number of semi-permanent latrines is thirteen,
water sealed latrines nineteen and pit latrines nine. Some
of the latrines are made up of plastic pans and plastic
pipes, and they cost Tk 175. Some had made the pan out
of tin sheet and the pipe costs only Tk 15. Some had
used bamboo as the pipe.
Walking through the surrounding bushes, backyards
and the edges of the field, no smell or sign of human
waste was found. The young boys and girls affirmed, that
no one from their village goes out in the open to relieve.
People from other villages who come to visit them, out of
grown habit go to the open, but they are mostly not
allowed. Once, a road-way labourer was caught by the
young boys while he was relieving in the open. The do's
and don'ts regarding sanitation practices was read out to
him, which was written on a tin plate in the village. He
was penalized for the misdoing and then later pardoned.
A simple but proper latrine in santal village, by the side is the gas pipe made
out of bamboo.
Through this process, men, women, children and
youths became aware regarding the usage of latrine.
After a period of time, it was declared that cent percent of
the inhabitants of Dighipara use latrines.
Now, initiatives are being taken to ensure growth of
other habits. Amongst these are— washing hands after
using the latrine and before and after taking food,
keeping food and drinking water covered, keeping the
body clean, wearing sandals while going to the toilet and
keeping it hygienic, cleaning of the courtyard and road,
disposal of garbage in a specific place, storing cow-dung
in a pit without causing any health hazard, using safe
water in household work, not to spit in any place and so
forth. A villager monitoring committee has been formed to
supervise and oversee the above exercises. The male
and female members of the committee keep a regular
watch on who is not following the norms and try to correct
them.
In Dighipara it was noticed that there were around
twelve to thirteen kinds of technologies being used for
making latrines. Majority of the techniques are invented
by the local villagers. They are shown enough respect,
considered to be knowledgeable and are often caringly
called as village engineers. VERC term them as village
inventors. Here one learns from another's experience and
goes on inventing new techniques. Some of them work as
consultants and demonstrate the simple techniques to
the people of other villages. They have demonstrated in
places like Kishorganj, Jaldhaka and Khansama. A
number of national and international NGOs hired some of
them on a consultancy basis to inspire the villagers in far
off areas by practically showing the techniques in
installing the latrines and the system of using them.
In Dighipara, not a single latrine was found to be dirty,
broken, unused, stagnant with water or stinky. Not a
single ring slab was found lying on the open or being
used as a bowl for feeding the cows. The villagers see to
it that the latrines are made in such a way that the wastes
are not exposed, the odour does not stink the area, the
flies cannot enter the pits and the environment stays
clean.
This way, at the initiative of VERC. eighty-seven
settlement areas of Sitakund in Chittagong, Teknaf of
Cox's Bazaar, Bagmari and Mohanpur of Rajshahi,
Lalmohan
in
Bhola,
Nachol
and
Bholahat of
Chanpainababganj and Manda use hundred percent
hygienic latrines. In these areas there are 5,556
households and the number of latrines are 4,552. Out of
these, there are places where several households use a
single latrine.
While visiting the localities of Dakshinpara and
Bagpukurpara of village Kirtoly under Kusumba Union of
Mandar, we met Abul Kalam Azad of village Kirtoly. He
had spent Tk 400 to build a latrine towards end of 2001.
He has a three member family, with five bighas of
cultivating land, pond measuring 70 decimals, 32
decimals for housing and 10 decimals for orchard.
Mukti Begum of the same locality also has a family
consisting of three members. Her family's land extends to
16
ffOFILE ' Dew-drops - how better wash away world's dust
*US3i
COVER STORY
one bigha for agriculture and the area of housing is 16
decimals. It took Tk 2000 to make the latrine in her house
a couple of years back.
In this village, latrines were found which cost Tk 50 or
Tk 75. To make these hygienic and odour free latrines
cheap, tin casks, meant for tin shed houses, are used.
Each cask costs Tk 30. Out of one, two pans can be
made. Along with these, the cost of plastic pipe and other
miscellaneous expenditures are there. There were nine
such latrines. One of the villagers informed that it took
only Tk 17 for him to make a latrine. There were eleven
latrines costing Tk 75 each and 35 latrines, costing
between Tk 100 and Tk 450. Ten latrines were there
which cost Tk 400 each.
The river Shiv is a kilometre away from Dakshinpara of
Kirtoly. Some call it a dead river. During the scorching
heat of May and June, the river is fully dry and is used for
paddy cultivation From Dakshinpara, the Kaligram
swamp is two kilometres away. A little far off from
Dakshinpara, Delubari is a place where the poor santals
live. They work in the neighbouring farmlands. While we
were there, it was found that the male members of the
village had gone out for harvesting. A few old men and
women came forward. A couple of middle aged men and
women also came. We spoke to Bishnu Sarkar (70),
Bharati (35) and Pia Lal (36).
They informed that the total number of houses in the
area is thirty-one. Discussions were held on the necessity
and advantages of latrines. They said that after realizing
its importance, fourteen latrines were made in a single
day. Maximum of them were made out of tin and plastic
pipes. A plastic pipe was connected to the pan made of
tin and was led to the pit. Plastic pipe or bamboo were
used as exhaust pipes for gas and were fitted with the
pits. Since majority of the working men became busy in
harvesting, they could not get time to enclose these
latrines. Once the pressure of harvesting work reduces,
the latrines will be enclosed with bamboo strips or
Palmyra leaves. Till that time the latrines would remain
fenced with Palmyra leaves. The tin made pans and the
WORKING METHOD OF VERC
VERC has its own way of working. After discussing with the villagers, awareness and interest are developed among the
villagers about water and sewerage and sanitary practices. Then a committee is formed called WATSAN (Water and
Sanitation). The number of committee member is nineteen. Seven are women and rest twelve is men. The villagers
select the committee members. The WATSAN committee makes a work plan, and forms a group of poor women.
Gradually each and every villager is inspired to install a latrine. The villagers make the latrines according to their
financial capacity. For this, there are various designs for latrines. To keep the process on-going, more committees and
groups are formed. They are Union Steering Committee, Rural Sanitation Engineering Group comprising of local
villagers. Water- Point Management Committee, Village Engineering Group and also cultural groups. Before starting
the work, techniques are used for village assessment on a participatory basis.
Dew-drops - how boiler wash away world's dusi
JCOFILE
17
cover story sasana
latrines are kept clean and tidy.
After the tribal village, we moved on to Masterpara of
Baropai village under Kushumba Union. The story here
was more or less the same. A locality of fifty-three
houses, every house has a latrine in Masterpara. The
target was achieved October 2002. In this locality 12
latrines are made out of tin casks. Other than this, there
are water sealed latrines, offset pit latrines and pit
latrines. Every latrine has either soap or ash for washing
hands. Once, there was a time, when only 55 persons
used to brush their teeth regularly. Today the number is
180. Once, there were only 80 persons who used to cut
their nails regularly. Now this figure stands to two
hundred and five. There are twenty deep tubewells and
two wells. There is a mosque, a school and a club. The
number of females and males are 111 and 113
respectively.
The entire work is going on with the assistance of
VERC. The Regional Coordinator, Tapan Kumar Saha
informed that at the start of the work, the workers of
VERC were not so well accepted by many villagers. The
female folks of the village were not easily accessible, but
gradually the attitude of these people started to change. It
would not have been possible without the cooperation of
the female folks. The children and the teenagers also
came forward. They helped in creating awareness
through singing songs and dancing. A few of the elderly
local leaders objected in the beginning. Now they are
active partners. Some of them are campaigning in the
neighbouring villages or in the far away villages where
their relatives live with their own initiative. They do not
take any money in return.
According to Tapan, the biggest success achieved is
the transformation of the perceptions of the local people
in the areas where they are working. He also said that
people could realize their own problems and understood
what is to be done.
He said : “VERC does not have any kind of micro
credit programme in the areas where we work. We do not
extend any financial help or subsidies, nor do we provide
any material support for making latrines. We do not relate
micro-credit with latrine construction or go for any
agreement. People realizing the necessity build their
latrines themselves. We just help them by building
awareness."
Regarding failure, Tapan Saha admitted, “We still
could not arrange to provide safe drinking water to every
household. Secondly, we cannot firmly say that any of the
union enjoys cent percent household latrine system; but
we are optimistic to reach the point within a very short
span and are working towards that."
The Assistant Project Engineer of VERC working in
Rajshahi said that they bring-in and show various
technologies for making latrines to the villagers. Then the
villagers according to their capacity adopt one of them.
The villagers start inventing new methods themselves.
The effort goes on depending on their needs, availability
of materials, financial conditions and other practical
considerations. The invention and development process
18
££ofile
Dew-drops - how better wash away world's dust
of these techniques are amazing, specially when you
listen about them from the villagers. They elaborate how
they made the pan with tin sheet, how they got it welded
by a blacksmith, how a piece of rexin was used to prevent
stink and if it did not work, a foot of plastic pipe was used
for shallows, and was fixed. Listening to these innovative
ways, one can make out the potentiality and the mark of
creativity of our countrymen. There were a number of
discussions held with the villagers of Madhyapara in
Kirtoly. One of the discussion sessions was held during
the afternoon, sitting in a courtyard. The participants
were Abul Kalam Azad, Amjad Hossain Paik, Mukti
Begum, Halim Bibi (1), Halim Bibi (2), Rozina Khatun,
Sahida Khatun, Shefali Bibi, Rabiya Bibi, Sohel Rana,
Golam Rabbani, Humayun Kabir, Afsar Ali and Rabiul
Islam. They wrote on a piece of paper and gave it to us
describing the types of latrines that are in use in their
locality and how much did they cost.
The participants informed that when they did not have
the latrines, they faced hundreds of problems. But after
installing and using the latrines, those problems were
solved. For instance, during the last couple of years no
one of the village had been attacked by diarrhoea.
The same thing reflected in the information given by
the women and men of Sayedpur Dighipara village in
Bagmara They mentioned about nine advantages.
A survey was conducted to collect facts for this report
in the settlement areas where 'hundred percent target' of
latrines were achieved. During this survey, the local
villagers rather emphasized the advantages like non
existence of diarrhoea, other such diseases and hence
saving of expenses. It was noticed that the villagers have
grown up the habit of throwing garbage in their own pits
or a few households throw the garbage in a common pit.
Now the question may arise, that after two or three
years, when the pits of the latrines get filled up with
waste matter, will the villagers again dig those pits? We
have to wait to get the answer. But the workers of VERC
are optimistic. They reported that, unlike other NGOs,
they did not distribute ring-slabs at random nor they had
given any financial help. Only thing they did was, to
stimulate the ardent zeal amongst the villagers. If this
exercise could bring forth so much of a change, then it is
more likely that the villagers after having understood the
advantages of sanitary latrines and getting used to
hygienice ways, will not return to a life without latrines
any more.
The villagers seemed to echo the feeling. They also
cannot think of a house without a latrine.
Meanwhile, there are NGOs who are following the
foot-steps of VERC. Many teams and experts from
countries of Europe and Asia visited and saw the method
of work, adopted by VERC. To demonstrate this method,
two VERC workers had gone to Cambodia. A New Delhi
based daily newspaper 'INDIAN EXPRESS' commented
on the programme of VERC by saying- "LEARN IT FROM
BANGLADESH KEEP INDIA CLEAN."
(Data collection work in Rajshahi and Naogaon was
assisted by Shahiduzzaman.)
COVER STORY
Scenario
Pathakpara of Kurigram
meeting is held where the committee discusses about their
progress. Apart from this, the committee informs the women
about the various ways of safe health. The upazila nirbahi
officer (UNO) wants to fulfil the target in the whole upazila
within June 2003. Keeping that in mind a project has already
been started based in Rajarhat upajila with the support of
UNICEF. It was started in July 2002. A vast campaign was
done by the chowkidars on sanitation and a notice was
served to every household with respect to installing hygienic
latrine and its usage. The UNO made sudden visits to inspect
from house to house. There are 53 cases filed against the
pollution of environment. The UNO Sheikh Rafiqul Islam said,
"In the beginning legal threat was given, but now we lay more
emphasis on motivation. Everyone knows about the hygienic
latrine in the upazila. An orientation course is being run for
various leaders from every field, like- teachers, imams, the
chairmen-members of union parishads, NGO and political
leaders etc. More than 500 student brigades have been
formed in schools, colleges and madrasas. VGD card-holders
and students awarded with scholarships are buying
ring-slabs for latrines from their monthly savings.
A budget of Tk 2.5 lacs has been allocated from ADB,
which is being distributed amongst various unions to buy
ring-slabs for poor families. He informed that by implementing
mobile latrine manufacturing unit, they are selling one ring
and slab at Tk 171. To ensure good quality of ring-slabs, the
private manufacturers were given training. The information
collected from upazila parishad is that before the project had
started 30% family used hygienic latrines out of a total
number of 3188 families. Now it has gone up to 90%. Rest of
the families will install latrines within June 2003.
Abdul Khaleq Faruque
The inhabitants of Pathakpara have already done their
calculation. They understand which will be profitable.
According to Manjuara (40)- an inhabitant of Pathakpara in
Kurigram, situated 3 km away from Rajarhat Upazila
headquarters- "A serious attack of diarrhoe will cost you up to
Tk 500 buying medicines." The expense for treatment will
have to be met by selling some household things or by taking
loan. But it is possible to prevent diarrhoea by buying a
sanitary latrine which costs Tk 170. Everyone from children to
elderly people of Pathakpara knows about the benefit of using
hygienic latrine. They know how to protect the health. Mina
Begum (25) said, if the sandals are not worn, while going to
the latrine, the worms crawl up and destroy the digestive
system. All of them are clear about the hygienic rules like
washing hands with soap or soil properly before having food
or after relieving. Eshahak (55), said that the human wastes
are not found on the roads any more. Everybody got used to
sanitary latrines and has given up the bad habit of defecating
in the bushes or jungles. The villagers informed that out of
300 families in the village, there are only 28-30 families who
do not have the latrines. But many of them deposited money
in advance for ring-slabs Uddyam Shangstha, an NGO in the
village. The ring-slabs are manufactured in the courtyard of
the organization's office. A set of ring-slabs costs Tk 170. The
Director of NGO Abed Ah
Activities of NGO Forum
informed
that
the
NGO Forum is implementing its project Water Supply and Sanitation (WATSAN) with an objective to
organization implemented a
ensure proper sanitation among poor and uneducated people in the rural areas. It has so far
project in 2001 with the help
installed 25 lacs of latrines. It is working along with the NGOs, CBOs and private entrepreneurs as a
of "NGO Forum for Drinking
chief coordiniator and support agency to implement safe sanitation in the urban as well as rural
Water
Supply
and
areas, which are deprived from one of the most primary facilities like sanitation. The NGO Forum
Sanitation". In January 2001,
informed that, they are working as a development associate to the government, the funding
when the baseline survey
agencies, as well as the national and international organizations and stakeholders in this sector. The
was done, the population of
WATSAN Programme is divided into two components-hardware and software. Since most of the
the
village
was
3,170
people in the country are poor, it gives the advantage of constructing low-cost latrines under the
consisting of 300 families.
hardware programme. Under this programme, the home made-hygienic latrines, water-sealed
Among
them,
only 42
latrine, san plant latrines, offset latrines, mould sets and implements for the rural sanitation centrefamilies
had
ring-slab
all are supplied. It provides training to develop health awareness through software. This includes
latrines. But now there are
mobile film shows, choir songs, rally, miknig courtyard meetings and folk events. For smooth
approximately 90% families
functioning of the programme, the whole country has been divided into 12 working areas. The areas
having hygienic latrines. He
are: Banshal, Bogra, Chittagong, Comilla, Dhaka. Faridpur. Jessore, Khulna. Mymensingh. Rajshahi,
said that they have a target
Rangpur and Sylhet. Each of these areas is provided with a local office, well equipped with good
where by 100% of the
administration and management. There are 705 sanitation centres at present, run by various partner
families will use latrines
organizations of NGO Forum. There are 600 partner organisations. 25 lacs of latrines have been
within 2003. With a views to
supplied to them So far about 1 crore and 20 lac people have been benefited through NGO Forum.
achieve this target, a village
Apart from this, 7,433 workers of various partner organizations and 46.210 villagers have been
improvement committee has
trained regarding WATSAN. But the most pathetic condition of the sanitation system is found in the
been set up. Consisting of 15
slums of the country. Specially the scenario of Dhaka city is most threatening. The inhabitants of the
members, the president of
slums use latrine less than the people of the other parts of the country. Only 13.5% of the
this committee is, Shahidur
slum-dwellers use latrines. Though the NGO Forum has implemented sanitation programme in
various towns and slums, the staff of the NGO Forum said that they do not have any programme in
Rahman, the Imam of the
Dhaka City.
- Shamim Rahman
local mosque. Every month a
Dew-drops • how better wash away world's dust
gpOFILE
19
COVER STORY
PATGRAM
100% Latrine
A Success Presently Marred
An initiative' wasta kentcrt^J
motivate people'in^slpfflafrif}^
and to get rid of diarftibe^arfdk
other diseases in Patgram :j
village of Lalmonirhat. What is
the present situation there?
Abdul Kha lek from Faruque
investigates and reports
An initiative can change the scenario of a place, if it lasts long.
If the favourable conditions get fulfilled, it can change the
habits of human beings they were accustomed with for a long
time and can show a new horizon. The initiatiative is called
"Patgram, a project for installation and usage of hygienic
lateines among 100% families. The possibility of a big chang in
sanitation system was and with the implement of this project
initiated by the upazila parishad along with the local people, the
project started from April 1999 and ended in March 2002. It
was able to draw attention of the national and international
researchers and of the development workers as an example.
THE WAY IT STARTED
25 people died of diarrhoea in the flooded Patgram upazila in
1998. This upazila is 90 km away from the district town of
Lalmonirhat and the inhabitants of this place became
apprehensive of diarrhoeal disease. The Upazila Nirbahi
Officer, Shariful Alam, detected that the usage of unhygienic
latrines was the cause of diarrhoea After that, he took, the
initiative to provide hygienic latrines among 100% of the
families in Patgram and made it mandatory for them to use it. A
survey was held at that time and it was recorded that the total
population of Patgram upazila was 1, 84,295. The number of
hygienic latrines used was only by 3,552 families out of 30,938
families. The average percentage was 11.48. Thus, germs were
spreading and polluting the total environment and the
surroundings. To salvage the situation, the patgram project was
approved by the Upazila Parishad and by the District
Development and Coordination Committee. Finally, with the
support from UNICEF, a social morement began.
THE WAY IT WAS IMPLEMENTED
People from every group irrespective of their opinions were
inchuded in this project. Goverment employees, imam of the
mosques, students- teachers, chairmen-members of union
parishad ansars and the members of VDP and people from
every walk of the society got themselves associated in this
project spontaneously. While giving the loans, the banks and
20 I Epofile
Dew-drops - how better wash away world's dust
“s -' X ■
the NGOs used to include the condition of building of hygienic/
latrines. Often, the latrines were bought out of.the.'loan.money.
The scholarship awardees, VGO card holders, the NGO
debtors used to buy latrines from the monthly savings. While
selling cows at the market, the cows were not bought without
the certificate of the UP Chairman certifying that the cow seller
has a latrine at his home. While registering a deed of a land or
a kabinnama for marrige, the UP chairman or kazi would verify
whether the people concerned have latrines at their homes.
Student brigades were formed with all the students of schools,
colleges and madrasahs for campaigning and motivating
people to build latrines in each and very home in the area.
A monitoring team of 5 members was formed consisting
the following people-Assistant Commissioner (land), Upazila Welfare Officer, Fisheries Officer, Youth Development
Officer and the Assistant Deputy Engineer of Department of
Public Health. With the help of the chairmen and the UP
members, the team mdentified the families without latrines
and made them sign immediately the letter of agreement for
building latrines. Finally, the team supervises the entire work.
Before the project started, there were only two centres for
constructing latrines at the Department of Public Health
Engineering. Later 15 temporary constructing units were built
with the help of union parishad to meet the demand. The
upazila parishad helped the UP chairmen by giving loans. The
workers got trained by the Department of Public Health
Engineering in constructing good quality latrines. UNICEF
arranged for the tin sheds, rooms and all other things required
for guarding these units. A set of 2 rings, one slab and one
bamboo cage for a latrine costTk 270, produced by these units.
A major campaigning was done through miking, singing Jari
songs, bill boards, posters and distributing leaflets. To motivate
people, various orientation courses, courtyard sittings, fnday
congregation sessions and class room discussions were held.
Only after the students brigade made sure each house had a
COVER STORY fT/ia
latrine installed, it was declared that there was 100% coverage.
One of the characteristics of the project was intense
motivational work by which the families were induced to buy a
hygienic latrine with their own money. Sometimes presesure
tactics were also applied. Unicef helped the project by providing
support in areas like motivational campaign, setting up
temporary latrine constructing centres, monitoring and so forth.
THE PRESENT SCENARIO
The success of this project no longer holds good due to lack of
follow-up, monitoring, supervision and funding problem. There
is no active initiative now, regarding this matter. After surveying
various villages and localities like Baura of Babra Union,
Rasulganj of Nabinagar Municipality, Dhabalsuti and
Rahamanpur of Patgram Upazila, this was the scenario we
found. 85% of the inhabitants of these areas are using hygienic
latrines at their homes. Others have gone back to their old
habits. This was because of poverty and mental capacity
Those who are well-to-do like the moderate farmers and
service holders, shifted their latrines to other places when the
existing pits got filled. The others did not fix the latrines when
the fences broke or did not bother to make it useable again
once the pits were filled up. There were one or two families who
bought the rings and the slabs, but were yet to use them. The
discussions revealed that they did know about the various
hygienic habits like washing hands properly before having food
or after defecating, going to latrines wearing sandals, keeping
the courtyard and the surrounding areas of the houses clean.
But many of them fail to or cannot follow the rules due to
constant economic pressure or regressed mentality. Most of
the courtyards were seen piled with garbage. The bottom of the
tubewells was filthy. The cow dung were scattered here and
there. Many poor families did not have the sandals and own
tubewells which are necessary.
Fahima (25) is the inhabitant of Nabinagar whose husband
is an ordinary vegetable seller. The family bought the ring
slabs two years back. They could not afford the fencing So
the latrine was not built and the ring-slabs were left unused at
the back of their house.
Sakina (30) does not have anything except the
house. Her husband is a daylabourer. They were
compelled to buy the ring-slabs while buying the
house. Those ring-slabs have been implanted
underground in the bamboo- clump beside the road.
Since it does not have any fence, they cannot use it
during the day time.
Mamtaj-uddin (65), of the same village has got
a latrine, but during the last monsoon it got filled up
with the soil. After that, it is not being used. The 10
members of his family now relieve themselves in
the adjoining bamboo-clump. Sabina Yasmin (40)
bought the ring-slabs with the vulnerable card
savings of her poor mother But they are lying near
the tubewell. According to her, the ring-slabs were
not used and the latrine was not made because of
want of money to build the fences. Anjuara, a
student of Baura High School, bought the ring
slabs with her scholarship money but could not
install the ring-slabs due to financial crisis.
According to her, the money she gets, is spent buying her
books, copies and dresses. The money her father earns is not
sufficient enough to avail food regularly. Although there is a
latrine in Shamser All's (57) house, it has been kept unused
after the pit was filled. Johura (45) of Dhabalbasati village in
municipality area said that they had a ring-slab latrine for 5
families with 25 members. But it was deserted after the fences
got broken. The Programme Assistant of BRAC in Baura,
Mosammat Rasheda Begum informed that the debtors got the
ring-slabs with the loans. They were also asked for
maintaining the latrines. Now, the female health workers are
looking after these. Member of ward 5 in Baura Union,
Mozammel Haque expressed that such a huge task was
successful by the united effort of everyone. A R. M. Faizul
Islam, the Certificate Assistant of Patgram Upazila Parishad
said, "There is no monitoring in the project due to fund crisis.
There are many people who do not have the tubewell and as
a result no flushing is done and the pipe gets unfit for use.
The headmaster of T. M. High School of Patgram, A. B. M.
Mahbubur Rahman exclaimed that the success they had
already gained is being eroded due to the lack of
maintenance and follow up. He also added that the project
was implemented 50% by administrative pressure and 50%
by motivating people. So it will not last if there is no system of
following it up. The Chairman of Patgram Municipality,
Shamser All said that, they had to buy latrines for many poor
families with the money collected from various sources. The
way the project is going on, half of the people may go back to
their old habits within 4-5 years. Ahmed Hossain, Assistant
Engineer, Department of Public Health Engineering said, “It is
getting difficult to hold on to the success due to lack of
monitoring and supervision as there is fund crisis. The project
coordinator of UNICEF in Rangpur, Nurul Islam opined that
Patgram could be a 'model' for other localities, the way mass
awareness was created among the people in favour of
hygienic sanitation. "It is also the responsibility of the local
people to carry on with the success and not let such a great
effort go in vain," he added.
Dew-drops -■ how bolter wash away world's dust
£COFILE
21
*1^
COVER STORY SSSSSSt
Munshiganj
Municipality
Highly ill-maintained
sewerage system-a threat
to the public health
— Shamim Rahman
The environment of Munshiganj municipality has taken a
horrid shape due to sheer bad sewerage system. Most of the
houses situated under this municipality have temporary
latrines. There are a lot of houses where stilt latrines are built
on outline of the ponds, small ducts or drains. Some of the
ring latrines have connecting pipes, which fall into the rivers or
ponds. Though the municipality provided some sanitary
latrines for domestic purpose, it is very insufficient compared
to the demand. There are only two public toilets in the town.
The ill-condition of the sewerage system has become a threat
for public health in Munshiganj municipality which has a
population of 50 thousand.
The district town of Munshiganj is situated on the
south-eastern bank of the river Buriganga. The municipality
was formed after liberation in January 1972. Later, it grew into
a district-town Divided into 3 wards, the present area of
Munshiganj municipality is 10.85 square km. A display notice
board in the municipality office says that the numbers of
temporary and brick-built houses are 8900 and the
population 4461. But according to the local people the
numbers, specially the population, may be more. At present,
the Munshiganj municipality is facing many problems. One of
the acute problems is the sewerage system. The condition of
the sewerage system of Ward 2 and 3 are really pathetic.
Char Kishorganj, Ramjanbeg, Islampur and Charshil Mandir
of ward 3 and the West Deobhog of Ward 2 are going through
this noxious situation for a long time. Besides, in most of the
houses in Katakhali and Munshirhat, temporary latrines are
being used. There are many stilt latrines made by the side of
the nearby ponds, ditches and canals. Moreover, though there
are many houses where the latrines are made of concrete
rings, the pipes from latrines are connected directly with the
rivers or ponds. Thus the water of those rivers
and ponds are getting highly polluted. There
are also many open latrines in these areas
which pollute the air with stinking odour. The
information was given by the local inhabitant of
Katakhali, Shafiqul Hossain. The Sanitary
Inspector of the municipality agreed to the
comments made by him and said that such
complains are often made by the people. At
first a cautionary notice is given to the owners
of these latrines. After that if they do not take
any action, the latrines are demolished by the
municipality.
No doubt, the condition of the sewerage
22 | fJOFILE
Dew-drops - how better wash away world's dust
system of the municipal town is very grim. The people of the
town, specially the shop owners and businessmen in the
market are suffering a lot because of such a condition. Ariful
Islam, a grocery shopkeeper in the municipality area,
informed that people relieve themselves at any place. Textile
retailer, Motaleb Mia said, the environment of the market area
is getting polluted by this. There is a public-toilet in Munshirhat
under the municipality area and the other one is in the bus
stand. These are used by thousands and thousands of people
from dawn to dusk everyday. Two public toilets are insufficient
for a municipal town like this.
There are many homeless people who live in the town.
out- skirts of the town and in the suburbs. Many of them live
in homes made in deserted places. They do not have any
specific place to ease themselves. Jahid, a rickshaw-puller,
who lives in Charkishorganj area said, "We do not have a
place of our own, so where will we build the latrine?" In all,
there are only 995 latrines distributed amongst the inhabitants
of the municipality. Mohammad Mahboob Alam, Executive
Engineer of the municipality, informed that these latrines
consist of 5 and 10 rings with two-pits and have been
distributed amongst the people at half price. The stipulated
price of these latrines is Tk 5,828. The half of it is Tk 2,914.
This specific project was funded by ADB through LGED. But it
has finished its work last year. The demand of latrines in the
municipality is much more. The chairman of the municipality,
when inquired about the causes of such a poor sanitation
system and whether there were any plans to overcome it
exclaimed that the demand for sanitary latrines in the
municipality is huge The distributed latrines are far less in
number than it is required. Most of the inhabitants in this
municipal area are poor. They cannot afford the cost of
building sanitary latrines. Those who have taken the facilities
of getting the latrines at half-price could not pay the money
back till now. We are giving them reminders. We cannot put
pressure on these poor people. They want it free and it is not
possible for the municipality to distribute the latrines free of
cost. The total amount is unpaid. If we can collect all the
unpaid amounts, we will apply again for latrines. On the other
hand, the Department of Public Health Engineering is not
paying and heed to the problem of sewerage system. When
A.K.M. Faruq, Executive Engineer. DPHE was tried to be
contacted, it was said that he was out for office-work. One of
the staff informed that they were not doing any work on
sewerage system in the municipality area at that point of time.
FEATURE SSSSS2
Wild animals also drink cow milk, boiled eggs, bread, guava, Sagar banana,
Champak banana and Shabri banana. It seems very funny. But it is true. Some
animals prefer beef. They also like edible herbs, cucumbers, various fruits, wheat
and maize and even green grass, creepers, snakes, frogs, chameleons and other
insects. There are many animals and birds in the Mirpur zoo in Dhaka. These
animals come from different climatic and geographical conditions. Their food
habits are different. A leopard eats 5 kg beef in a day. A Royal Bengal Tiger needs
12 kg beef everyday. The carnivorous animals generally eat beef. The Indian Lion
eats 10 kg of beef. The wild cat eats 500 gm beef and 500 gm Shabri banana; generally the foods
are served to the animals in the morning around 11-12 o'clock. The days in which the cages have to
be cleaned it rolls down to 3-4 o'clock in the afternoon, for serving them food.
Bear eats 1 kg bread, 2 kg Champak banana, 2 kg edible herbs, cucumbers, other vegetables
and half kg of milk.
The animals are served with seasonal vegetables and fruits. Hippopotamuses are herbivorous
animals. To feed a hippopotamus everyday, 90 kg green grass, maize and guava are needed It also
eats 10 kg of wheat bran and 20 kg seasonal vegetables and herbs.
Peacocks eat vegetables, fruits, grains, insects,
snakes and frogs. There are suppliers to supply
these items.
Ria birds come from America. It is mainly
herbivorous and eats grass and leaves. But as an
omnivorous animal, it also eats small animal like
insects, chameleon etc. Apart from these, it eats 400
gm of poultry feed, 500 gm of whole grains, 500 gm of breads, edible red herbs 20 gm and one
boiled egg.
Kesoari birds live in Australia. Everyday this bird eats 2 kg of Sagar banana, 800 gm of bread and
two boiled eggs.
Balubora bird eats a couple of lizards, mouse and small birds.
Langur eats everyday 2 breads weighing 800 gm, 2 boiled eggs and fruits. Deer each day eats 5
kg wheat bran, 500 gm of til seed-oil cakes, 8-9 kg of green grass, cucumber, guava and bananas
Some snakes eat 1 rabbit and 2 chicks. The snake is fed once in a week. The day is Sunday.
The beef are bought from Gabtoli Market for these animals. The food like meats, vegetables, fruits are supplied by the
enlisted suppliers.
There are two big chicken poultries in the zoo. The chicks and the eggs are supplied from there for animals and birds.
There are separate containers for drinking water in the cages for the animals and birds. These information were provided by
the caretaker of the zoo, Shafiqur Rahman.
-Zeenat Ara
Do you eat guava?
Boiled egg
and even bread?
The environment of the human habitation in the north is changing
Re-dredging of the 21 km long
Sarmongla Kharia Khal of Godagari
upazila in Rajshahi district is going
unhindered
with
support
from
Barendra Multi Purpose Development
Authority and with the funding of
UNDP under Sustainable Environment
Management Programme (SEMP) of
the Ministry of Environment and
Forest.
Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia
inaugurated the workshop on water
circulation on 5 June 2003 on the
occasion of International Environment
Day. She planted a sapling of a fruit
tree on the bank of the canal and
released small fishes in the canal. The
expenditure for water circulation will
be collected from the beneficiaries in
phases. Meanwhile, a vast amount of
land has been included for irrigation
and hence, there has been a marked
transformation of the cultivated land in
Godagari and Paba Upazila.
Cross dam is an infrastructure,
placed vertically on the canal, which
helps to hold the water in the canal up
to a certain level. The excessive water
passes over the cross dam and
gathers in the next portion. The
various crops, which need little water,
are being harvested in the banks of
the canal with the reserved water in
cross dam. Since the Barendra region
experiences shortage of rainfall, it has
only one crop, Aman, depending upon
rain water. Hence, the standard of
living of the inhabitants of this area is
very low. The water in the upper
surface is being reserved by the cross
dam and with the re-dredging of the
canal three types of crops are being
harvested. The farmers are being
benefited specially where there is a
shortage of water. Nowadays there is
extra 5000 megaton of crops produced
in 1500 hectre of lands by the side of
the canal and the current market price
of the produced crops is about taka 4
million Due to plantation of various
kinds of fruit and forest-grown trees
the harshness of the weather has
reduced a bit and the amount of
rainfall has increased This way a
balance has been restored in a
desert-like area in terms of overall
environment, at the same time it has
turned to be a good source of
producing large quantity of fruits.
Since it has increased the capacity
for reserving water due to re-dredging
of canal and building of cross dam, it
is considered to be as a big source of
recharging the underground water.
The usage of the underground water
is gradually decreasing and due to
increase in the upper level water, it is
helping a lot to balance the
environment of the area.
Dow-drops - how belter wash away world’s dust
fcOFILE
23
article cse±s
struck at night. According to the weather
Ten
years
back
Hamiduzzaman
to scarcity of technology, it could not be
expert previously noTwester used to occur
Chowdhury. Director, Weather Forecast
detected. The weather experts do not want
more in the western region of the country
Department had said- "We are noticing a
to conclude anything without finding the
and less at the centre. Since last year it is
dramatic change in the weather for some
real causes of change in weather pattern.
the opposite. Now noTwester strikes more
years, and there is a possibility of more
They say, 'One needs to do a lot of
at the centre.
variations in future. It is due to the reaction
research work to know about the causes.'
In the countryside, noTwester occurs
of Farakka and deforested area on the
But they believe it might be the influence of
very frequently in the month of March and
northern side where the changes of the
the weather changing globally.
April. The storm blows from the north-west
weather are noticed comparatively more.
It was clear from the research done in
side and thus it is named nor'wester in
The way it is changing, perhaps in future
Met Office that the temperature in
English. This storm blows until the
we have to change the harvesting time.
Bangladesh is increasing. This has
monsoon comes in the country during the
There is much possibility of more natural
reached a threatening point in the last 10
beginning of March. The weather experts
calamities. If we cannot control the
years. The Deputy Director of Met Office
say that the warm-wet stream of air
environmental pollution, the people of this
Samarendra Karmakar informed that the
coming from south and the continental dry
country perhaps will encounter a new
tendency of increasing temperature in the
and cold air from west and north-west
climatic condition in the far future. [Source:
atmosphere in Bangladesh has been
merge at a height of 2-3 kms in
Dainik Bangla. July 1993]
observed over the last 10 years during
atmosphere. Then it creates two different
Today, if we analyse the strain and
1961-1990. After going through the
waves in atmosphere. After meeting the
nature of noTwester that visits us during
documents of the previous 30 years, it was
warm and cold air in the atmosphere, the
summer, the comment holds true. The
seen that every year the temperature
warm and wet air creates windy clouds
rage of noTwester has increased. During
increased by 0.0037 Celsius on an
upon the cold wave. The noTwester storm
the summer it hits somewhere or the other
average At the same time, the average
everyday. Though it is not
quantity of rainfall increased by
The new technique of weather forecasting
4.9323 mm. Observing the
possible to know the numbers of
An advantage for the farmers
nor'wester which had hit, the
previous 30 years and last 10
It can be the end of a miserable situation millions of farmers
years, it has been seen that
members of the weather office
used to face every year. It is the new technique which forecasts
every year the temperature in
confirmed the numbers of
the weather in monsoon The method was used for the first
noTwesters this year were more time last year to forecast the weather, about 3 weeks earlier in this country increased by 0.3072
Celsius on an average which is
than last year. In the year 2000, the gangetic basin in Bangladesh.
from 23 March-4 May, the
Through this new technique it is possible to forecast the the almost double compared to the
weather office recorded a total timing of the rainfall, more accurately. The research workers of pervious 30 years. In 40 years,
member of 58 nor'westers by the Georgia Institute of Technology of U.S.A invented this method. the average quantity of rainfall is
amino metre. Though many The main inventor of this method Peter Webster claimed that 4.6909 mm. Therefore in the last
years,
though
the
nor’westers could not be recorded this method would help the farmers to take various decisions 10
by amino metre, the weather specially the management of water resource This process can temperature has increased, the
be used in any place The statistics are used in this method. At rainfall has decreased.
experts believed that nor'wester in
the same time the information, regarding the dynamics of the
Samarendra Karmakar said
an average struck everyday. The
atmosphere is used elaborately.
that a fair amount of research
intensity of noTwester was higher
has to be done to see whether the incident
with thunder and lightning is produced
this year. The storm was very powerful in
occurred due to the change of weather
from this cloud.
some places. Such powerful noTwesters
globally or not. The population is
The weather experts informed that the
did not occur earlier so frequently. A
increasing. The forests are being cut down.
intensity of cyclone has increased recently.
weather expert acknowledged that the
The transport and industrial pollution is
Now 3-4 major cyclones occur in a year.
character of nor'westers have also
also increasing day by day. The weather
Previously, it was one on an average. It
changed. In the past, nor'wester usually
ought to be affected by these. But to what
may happen due to the change in the
occurred during the day. But now it does
extent and why is yet to be found.
weather. Or it may be that previously due
not follow any time. Last year it mostly
24 ! fpOFlLE
Dew-drops - how better wash away world’s dust
ARTICLE SSSSSSS
In
Bangla literature, the name
Bibhutibhushan and the nature are
considered to be one and the same.
The way he described the nature in his
first novel, “Father Panchali", and the
story, “Upekshita", was a perfect
description of eternal beauty and
ambiance of Bengal. In fact, this is not
"There is a spiritual nature in this world.
As we are born within the plants, fruits
and flowers, light and shade, sky and
the ether, and we are so closely related
to them, it's difficult for us to grasp the
true image of nature." He was althrough
engaged in giving this sun-baked reality
a smooth and facile portraiture both in
his gratitude to the creator. He wrote in
his diary—
"I was thinking while wandering on
the road to the court in half-light, 'Oh
lord! I don't want your paradise, land of
the blest, or the abode of lord Vishnu—
hold your eternal world of stars for the
virtuous supermen. Bring me back to
this earthen world. Let your unrevoked
blessings be there to iron out my
pathway of coming and going to this
phenomenal world of fruits and flowers,
indelible mournings and sufferings and
awestruck childhood.” It is not only the
gratitude, Bibhutibhushan believed that
the relation between nature and human
only applicable for the novels, short
stories and diaries of Bibhutibhushan, it
is also reflected in his individual nature.
The force of nature has not only made
him romantic, but also has allured him
to the mystic world. We sometimes
notice that profound mysticism is
mingled with effervescent romanticism
in his writings and his extramundane
personality was the source of these
his literary work and practical life. This
was
possible
because
of
the
transcendental quality of his artistic self.
His spiritual nature is deeply rooted in
the spread out world of organism—
trees, florets, fruits, sunbeam and
penumbra, wind and sphere are all part
of it. Bibhutibhusan's spiritual realm
offers a rear consolation to the
conscientious people of the twenty-first
century and takes on an affirmative
journey. He made himself enriched by
the abundance of nature and showed
being is similar to the mother and child.
He has expressed that undetachable.
warm and lively feeling by saying- "This
realization opens up with touch of
nature which is bare and free. The
quiescent soul arises with the scent of
idle Margosa flowers, the field, filled
with moonlight, the forest of sun plant,
the languid songs of
the birds in
twilight, the picture of sunset in the far
end of the field and in the sweet
earthen and dry incense of the falling
leaves. Hence the nature is like an all
Bibhutibhushan and nature
Mridula Bhattachariya
images.
He realized the essence of the
nature and he wrote about it in his diary.
Dew-drops - how better wash away world's dust . ^COFILE
25
ARTICLE
healing plant to me—there is no other
medicine to rekindle a dead or fainted
sensation."
So Bibhutibhushan satisfied his
inner self enjoying the mystery of the
world by imbibing everything or by
extending himself into everything and
then carrying his sensation beyond.
Man is not an animal—he can
perceive—he made this statement a
number of times. His love for nature was
so inherent that he could not accept
anyone who
was incapable
of
perceiving nature. His only desire was
that every human being should feel the
nature strongly with his every sense. He
wrote in his diary— "This open nature,
the sloping banks of rivers covered with
grasses, catkin, the forest of silk cotton
plant, the chirping of birds—the blue
mountain ranges, the unfathomed
oceans, the unknown continents—the
laughing faces of children, beautiful
maiden, the affectionate wife, the noble
friends, the helpless groups of poor—
the amazing history of this great
mankind, rise and fall, the evolution of
politics and society, this enormous
world of stars, planets, satellites, the
nebula comet, the shooting stars, x-ray,
the unknown power of the world,
electricity,
invisible
rays,
high
penetrating radiation—that land of
spirits, the mysterious eternal life after
death, the endless and splendid
mystery of life, the vastness and
endurance of thoughts—those who are
not engrossed by these mysteries and
are satisfied with the cattle cake and
feed meant for the cows and buffaloes,
those who became ignorant, inert and
indifferent
about
the
profound
mysteries—they are the eternal
unfortunate beggars—who can salvage
them from poverty?"
Here we see the uniqueness of
Bibhutibhushan and his yearning to
discover mysteries. For his material,
Bibhutibhushan has profusely drawn
upon trees, wild flowers, fruit and the
soil and brewed them with his own
imagination, which is vast, mysterious,
splendid and beautiful. A wonted thing
very easily becomes an unusual
experience in Bibhutibhushan's work.
All that meandering feeling he creates
and evokes us to a sorcerous entity—
"What a wonderful sight, the bank near
Khabrapota—the brick-red scrap of
26
cloud floating in the sky behind a silk
cotton tree—greenery everywhere.
What beauty, what peace, such
softness, mind is full of happiness with
wet, sweet and juicy fragrance of green
sugarcanes. I am resting, looking at the
sky and the trees far off." As a writer of
'Pather Panchali', Bibhutibhushan got
enormous popularity and readership,
which is a rare instance in the history of
Bangla literature.
Rabindranath personally felicitated
him and said, "The book is standing on
its own truth." The main character in
"Pather Panchali", Apu's childhood,
adolescence and youth, all were
controlled by nature. When he was
exhausted and totally shattered with the
domestic troubles, it was only the
nature which stood by him as a shelter.
It is very normal for a human being to
corelate his power with a bigger power,
otherwise he feels very lonely. The
crucial moment in Apu's life could have
damaged his healthy development by
repressing and confining his own
desires, nature was his only support. It
is the nature which possesses its place
in domestic life through emotional
upsurge and close contact with human
being. In Apu's life this was fulfilled with
streams, plants, sky and clouds.
No doubt. Apu's love for nature, as
he grew up, did not cramp, but became
even more intense. His love for poetry
and nature flew not only parallel, but
were complementary to each other. He
used to listen to his guru at primary
school, "This is the spring in the
mountain situated within human society.
The breeze is always blowing at the
peak. It is always adorned with deep
blue sky along with dark clouds"- the
verse, full of Sanskrit sonance made
him aware about the beauty and man's
interwined relationship with nature.
During the later years, when he
learned to enjoy poetry, the poetic and
the natural world became singular to
him- "Looking at the cloudy sky above
the bamboo-clump, he saw— someone
extending his hands, praying for the
immortal armoar and earrings taking
advantage of generosity of a young
hero". It is not difficult to understand the
reason behind mingling of poetry and
the natural world in Apu's mind. He got
variant savour of domestic life from
nature and at the same from poetry.
£pOFILE I Dew-drops - how boiler wash away world's dust
His extroverted mentality was
supported by the nature as well as by
poetic passion. Hence the picture of
Apu's early life was filled with strokes of
nature. The various streams of thoughts
and imaginations and it's steps were
revealed periodically by description of
the nature. After "Pather Panchali" was
published many people could not
understand the inevitable part of nature
described in the story and termed it as
'Botanical novel'.
In fact, the society was like nature to
Apu, or its substitution. It was his merit
that Bibhutibhushan was able to show
the world of plants, animals and birds in
a lively manner in his creation because
of his acute observation and perpetual
love for nature. He could not have been
that successful, if he had not got the
experience from his childhood. Since
his experiences were confined within a
specific place in Bangladesh, many
people wanted to restrict his creation
within a narrow boundary. Though from
a particular milieu it never lacked
profundity. Bibhutibhushan was very
cautious about this and wrote— "When
we say we love this world, we do not
realize that this love is for a very narrow
and favourite place. The plants, brooks,
soil and the people of that place are
very dear to me. Hence, in loving them
we tend to believe we love the world
very much. In fact, it is that particular
village or city which is my world." A
child is brought up in his or her
mother's shelter. Then one day it comes
out of the shelter and grows up in a
natural way. Likewise the civilization
has passed through the old mother
nature. Bibhutibhushan realized this
truth and we can observe it in Apu's
character—the childish state of mind
instead
of
elderly
complicated
mentality. While reading the book, a
question arises—how much do the
present readers value the philosophy of
a great nature lover? The dominance of
civilization upon the nature is evident
today. We do want to reinstate nature
along with a healthy agricultural and
industrial growth. We have to be
conscious about the degradation of
nature. Ecosytem is equally important
for our social environment. And
Bibhutibhushan inspires us to that end
and teaches us to love nature more
deeply.
ANALYSIS
Public policies to ensure
environmental sustainability**
Ensuring environmental sustainabilitythe seventh Millennium Development
Goal-requires achieving sustainable
development patterns and preserving
the productive capacity of natural
ecosystems for future generations. Both
efforts in turn require a variety of
policies that reverse environmental
damage and improve ecosystem
management. The challenge has two
dimensions:
addressing
natural
resource scarcity for the world's poor
people and reversing environmental
damage
resulting
from
high
consumption by rich people.
Many environmental problems arise
from the production and consumption
patterns of non-poor people, particularly
in rich countries. Rich countries
consume a lot of fossil fuels and deplete
many of the world's fisheries, damaging
the global environment. They also use a
lot of tropical hardwoods and products
from endangered species.
To ensure the sustainability of Earth
and its resources, including the
development
prospects
of poor
countries, these harmful production and
consumption patterns must change.
Energy systems will have to generate
much lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Fisheries
will
have
to
be
managed based
on
ecological
limits rather than
heavily
subsidized
free-for-alls.
And international
rules
of
the
game will have
to mitigate the
over
consumption
that endangers
ecosystems and
certain
plants
and animals. But
with
smart
policies and new
technologies, the
costs of these
changes can be
quite low.
At
the
same
time.
many
environmental problems stem from
poverty-often
contributing
to
a
downward spiral in which poverty
exacerbates environmental degradation
and
environmental
degradation
exacerbates poverty. In poor rural
areas, for example, there are close links
among high infant mortality, high fertility,
high population growth and extensive
deforestation, as peasants fell tropical
forests for fire-wood and new farmland.
Given this chain of causation.
policies that reduce child mortality can
help the environment by lowering
population growth
and
reducing
demographic pressures on fragile
ecosystems. Other examples of poverty
contributing
to
environmental
degradation abound.
Thus reducing poverty can play a
pivotal role in environmental protection.
Worsening environmental conditionsincluding depletion of natural resources
and degradation of ecosystems and
their services-hit poor people the
hardest. And when poor people degrade
the environment, it is often because
they have been denied their rights to
natural resources by wealthy elites. In
many cases, for example, poor people
are forced onto marginal lands more
prone to degradation.1
Around the world, 900 million people
live in absolute poverty in rural areas,
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£COFILE ■ 27
analysis osssss
•
Reduced crop yields in most tropical and subtropical regions and increased
variability in agricultural productivity due to extreme weather conditions (droughts
and floods).
•
Increased variability of precipitation during Asian summer monsoons, which could
reduce food production and increase hunger.
•
Reduced water availability in many water-scarce regions, particularly subtropical
regions. Increased water availability in some water-scarce regions-such as parts
of South-East Asia.
•
Increased destruction of coral reefs and coastal ecosystems and changes in
ocean-supported weather patterns.
•
Rising sea levels. With a 1 metre rise in sea level, partly due to global warming,
Egypt could see 12% of its territory home to 7 million people disappear. Rising
seas threaten to make several small inland nations-such as the Maldives and
Tuvalu-uninhabitable, and to swamp vast areas of other countries.
•
Increased exposure to vector-borne diseases (malaria, dengue fever) and
water-borne diseases (cholera).
40% because cultivated crops fail."
Ignoring environmental sustainability,
even if doing so leads to short-run
economic gains, can hurt poor people
and undermine long-run poverty
reduction.5 The strong links between
poverty and the environment call for a
focus on the needs of people whose
livelihoods depend on natural resources
and environmental services. In policy
and
practice,
environmental
management should create income
generating opportunities, strengthening
people's property and user rights and
fostering their participation in political
decision-making.
The links between poverty and the
environment also run in the other
direction. Poor people are often
deprived of the means and rights to
invest in the sustainable use of
environmental
resources
through
improved
water
treatment
and
sanitation, cleaner energy technologies
and so on. Poor people also lack the
money to invest in substitutes for
environmental services.
Ever-expanding consumption hurts
the environment through polluting
emissions and waters. Growing
depletion
and
degradation
of
renewable resources also undermine
livelihoods. Over the past 50 years
carbon dioxide emissions quadrupled,
with much of the increase occurring in
rich countries. In 1999 per capita
carbon
dioxide
emissions
in
high-income
OECD
countries
exceeded 12 metric tones- compared
with 0.2 tones in the least developed
countries.
Because of their larger contributions
to global environmental degradation
and their greater financial and
technological resources, rich countries
bear much of the responsibility for
addressing environmental concerns.
Rich countries also need to help poor
ones
pursue
environmentally
sustainable development. Achieving
the Millennium Development Goals
requires policies that stress the
complementarity betwen sustainable
development
and
environmental
management and that minimize the
trade-offs.
Indeed,
ensuring
environmental
sustainability
is
essential for achieving the other Goals
Source. IPCC 2001a, b. UNDP 1998.
(Table 6.1)
because they are responsible for
collecting fuel, fodder and water.
In many countries deforestation
Target 9 : Integrate the principles of
forces rural women and girls to
sustainable development into country policies
walk farther and spend more
and programmes and reverse the loss of
time and energy collecting fuel
environmental resources
wood.
In Africa they spend up to
Target 10 : Halve, by 2015. the proportion of
three hours a day just fetching
people without sustainable access to safe
water, expending more than a
drinking water.
third of their daily food intake.3
Target 11 : By 2020. to have achieved a
Poor people tend to suffer the
significant improvement in the lives of at least
most from air and water
100 million slum dwellers
pollution. They spend more of
depending on the consumption and sale
their household incomes on energy, yet
of natural products for much of their
the services they receive are often of
livelihoods. In Tanzania poor people
low quality such as biomass fuels
derive as much as half of their cash
burned in inefficient, polluting stoves, or
incomes from the sale of forest products
kerosene lamps that cost more per unit
such as charcoal, honey, firewood and
of illumination than lamps powered by
wild fruits.2 The least developed
an electricity grid.
countries are the most dependent on
Poor people are also the most
agriculture and natural resources. Yet
vulnerable to environmental shocks and
relying on primary products-agricultural
stresses, including floods, prolonged
and forest products, minerals, fish-for
droughts and the emerging effects of
export earnings makes developing
global climate change (box 6.1).
countries highly vulnerable to resource
Moreover, they are the least capable of
depletion and worsening terms of trade.
coping with such shocks and stresses.
The relationship between poverty
In dryland India biodiversity-related
and environmental resources also has a
products (such as wild fruits or honey)
strong gender component. Poor women
usually account for about 20% of the
and girls are hurt disproportionately by
incomes of poor rural people. But during
environmental
degradation,
often
droughts they account for more than
Goal 7 : Ensure environmental
sustainability
Box 6.1
How global climate change threatens developing countries
Global climate change is expected to increase the economic disparities between rich
and poor countries, especially as temperatures increase The estimated damage for
poor countries partly reflects their weaker adaptive capacity. Hence climate change is
a major development issue.
Climate change could lead to large-scale, possibly irreversible changes in Earth
systems, with effects at the global and continental levels. Though the livelihood and
scope of these effects are not well known, they will be significant and so must be
reflected in policy-making. Potential effects include:
I
28 I fpOFILE
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ANALYSIS ffffihe
ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES
Ecosystems and natural resources,
fundamental to so many productive
activities, contribute much to the global
economy. In the late 1990s agriculture
accounted for nearly a quarter of the
GDP of low-income countries.6 Industrial
wood products contributed $400 billion
to the global economy in the early
1990s, and fisheries accounted for $ 55
billion in exports in 20007
Scarce natural resources and
ecosystem
stresses
often
force
unwanted
trade-offs
on
poor
communities. A community can get more
food by converting a forest to farmland,
but in doing so it may lose environmental
services such as timber, biodiversity,
clean water, flood regulation and drought
control.
FOOD
Human well-being depends on natural
resources and environmental services
that help produce food. People rely on
soils to grow corps, grasslands to raise
livestock and freshwater and oceans to
support fisheries. Underlying much of
this productivity: genetic resources.
Over centuries farmers have generated
crucial stocks of knowledge and
productivity by breeding livestock and
selecting, storing and propagating plant
Why reaching the environmental Goal is so important for the other Goals
TABLE 6.1
Goal
Links to the environment
Eradicate extreme poverty
and hunger
Poor people's livelihoods and food security often depend on ecosystem goods and
services. Poor people tend to have insecure rights to environmental resources and
inadequate access to markets, decision-making and environmental information
limiting their capability to protect the environment and improve their livelihoods and
well-being. Lack of access to energy services also limits productive opportunities,
especially in rural areas.
2. Achieve universal primary
education
Time spent collecting water and fuel wood reduces time available for schooling. In
addition, the lack of energy, water and sanitation services in rural areas discourages
qualified teachers from working in poor villages.
3.
Promote gender equality
and empower women
Women and girls are especially burdened by water and fuel collection, reducing their
time and opportunities for education, literacy and income-generating activities.
Women often have unequal rights and insecure access to land and other natural
resources, limiting their opportunities and ability to access other productive assets.
4.
Reduce child mortality
Diseases (such as diarrhoea) tied to unclean water and inadequate sanitation and
respiratory infections related to pollution are among the leading killers of children
under five. Lack of fuel for boiling water also contributes to preventable waterborne
diseases.
5.
Improve maternal health
Inhaling polluted indoor air and carrying heavy loads of water and fuel wood hurt
women's health and can make them less fit to bear children, with greater risks of
complications during pregnancy. And lack of energy for illumination and refrigeration.
as well as inadequate sanitation, undermine health care, especially in rural areas.
6.
Combat major diseases
Up to 20% of the disease burden in developing countries may be due to
environmental risk factors (as with malaria and parasitic infections). Preventive
measures to reduce such hazards are as important as treatment- and often more
cost-effective. New biodiversity-derived medicines hold promise for fighting major
diseases.
7.
Develop a global partnership
for development
Many global environmental problemsclimate change, loss of species diversity.
depletion of global fisheries-can be solved only through partnerships between rich
and poor countries. In addition, predatory investments in natural resources can
greatly increase pressure to overexploit environmental assets in poor countries.
1.
__
Source Based on UNDP. DFID. World Bank
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29
source of alternative food products.
varieties. Diverse genetic resources
enable
farmers
to
adapt
to
environmental change by creating new
BOX 6 2
livestock and plant varieties better
suited to new conditions. In periods of
scarcity, wild biodiversity is also a
Improving the lives of slum dwellers
An estimated one-third of the developing world’s urban population lives in slums. They
contend with overcrowding, substandard housing and poor access to safe water and
sanitation-resulting in high rates of disease and infant mortality.
Rapid urban growth suggests that the problems of slum dwellers will worsen in cities
already vulnerable. The United Nations projects that between 2000 and 2010, 85% of the
growth in the world's population will occur in urban areas-almost entirely in Africa. Asia
and Latin America. In 2001 more than 70% of the urban populations in the least developed
countries and Sub-Saharan Africa lived in slums. Without substantial interventions, this
figure will increase.
Millennium Development Goal 7 calls for significant improvements in the lives ol at least
100 million slum dwellers by 2020. Traditionally, donors have been less focused on the
needs of urban residents But with growing pressure to manage rapid urban growth, that is
beginning to change.
Though cities are often associated with environmental destruction, their high population
densities offer opportunities to build crucial infrastructure-such as sanitation, transport and
health care services-at lower costs per capita than in rural areas. Urban environments can
also offer better prospects for making governments more responsive and accountable to
people's needs. The success of slum dweller associations around the world-such as in
Mumbai, India, and Nairobi, Kenya- suggests that higher population densities and closer
proximity to decision-makers enable poor urban residents to make their voices heard.
Total, urban and slum populations worldwide, mid-2001
Region
Total population
(billions of
people)
Urban
population
(percent)
Urban slum
population
(percent)
World
6.1
47 7
31 6
Rich regions
1.2
75.5
6.0
54,068
Developing regions
4.9
40 9
43.0
869,918
Urban slum
population
(thousands
of people)
923,986
North Africa
02
52 0
28 2
21,355
Sub-Saharan Africa
07
34 6
71.9
166.208
127,567
Latin America and the Caribbean
0.5
75.8
31.9
East Asia and Oceania
1 4
39 0
36.3
194.323
South-Central Asia
1.5
30.0
58 0
262,354
South-East Asia
0.5
38.3
28.0
56.781
West Asia
0.2
64 9
33.1
41,331
Central and Eastern
Europe and CIS
0.4
62.9
9.6
24,831
Estimates from African Population and Health Research Centre, in collaboration with UN HABITAT.
Source. UN-HABITAT 2002. UN 2002i.
30
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WATER
Natural resource mismanagement and
degradation threaten vital water
services-undermining
economic
growth,
human
well-being
and
environmental resilience. About 1.7
billion people, a third of the developing
world's population, live in countries
facing water stress (defined as
countries that consume more than 20%
of their renewable water supply each
year). If current trends persist, this
number could increase to 5.0 billion
people by 2025.6 Limited access to
water is weakening the development
prospects of many countries, and
conflicts over water use and distribution
are a common cause of international
disputes.
ENERGY
More than 2 billion people lack access
to electricity and the services it
provides,
including
lighting,
refrigeration, telecommunications and
mechanical power.9 These services are
essential to delivering education and
health care and to creating productive
employment opportunities.
In the poorest counties more than
80% of energy comes from traditional
sources such as dung, crop residue and
fuel wood.10 Inefficient stoves and
heating technologies often force local
people to gather traditional fuels at a
rate
that
exceeds
the
natural
regeneration of these resources,
degrading land. Cooking with such fuels
can produce extremely high levels of
health-damaging air pollutants, both
indoors and out. Solutions to such
problems involve in rich countries to the
use
of
low-cost,
low-emission
technologies in developing countries.
Transportation, the most energyintensive sector, is a key challenge for
achieving sustainable energy use.
Governments should provide incentives
for consumers and producers to switch
to more efficient vehicles and more
sustainable resource use. The price of
petrol, much of which is determined by
taxes, can make a big difference.
Among OECD countries Canada and
the United States have some of the
lowest
petrol
prices-and,
not
surprisingly, the highest per capita
ANALYSIS SSSXSIS
Figure 6.1
Higher petrol consumption is associated with lower prices
in OECD countries, 2001
Annual per capita consumption (kg)
Retail price of petrol ($ per litre
.90
.60
300
.30
600
900
1,200
us
Canada
Australia
Switzerland
Sweden
Germany
Japan
Austria
Source IEA and OECD 2003
Box 6.3
Involving local residents in conservation in Guanacaste. Costa Rica
Since its inception in 1985, Costa Rica's Area de Conservacion Guanacaste (ACG)
has exemplified a new model of conservation-one featuring decentralized
decision-making, a commitment to making wild land a productive asset and a focus
on making conservation economically sustainable. Designated as a World Heritage
site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the ACG
encompasses 2% of Costa Rica's national territory and its home to more than
235,000 species-65% of the country's biodiversity.
Through a local council, civil society is involved in decision-making on the area, which
is one of the region's largest employers and hires only native Costa Ricans. More
than S45 million has been invested in the area's development, and its annual budget
of S1.5 million is spent directly in the area and neighboring towns Local businesses
benefit from the influx of visitors In addition, the ACG serves as a springboard for
applied research being conducted by the National Institute for Biodiversity: forest
restoration will increase the habitat available to search for profitable natural
chemicals. Other environmental services provided by the ACG include eco-tounsm.
water generation and carbon storage.
The main lesson of Guanacaste is that protected areas must be managed entirely at
the local level, with resources suitable for their sustainability. The ACG manages and
develops 2% of the country at almost no cost to Costa Rican taxpayers
Source Janzen 2000, pp 122-32, UNDP 2001a
consumption. Austria and Japan have
among the highest petrol prices-and
per capita consumption one-quarter the
US level and one-third the Canadian
level (figure 6.1). In India petrol costs
four times as much (at market exchange
rates) as in the United States.
LIVELIHOODS
Natural resources and environmental
services are a direct source of
livelihood for many people-especially
poor people in rural areas, who are the
most severely affected when the
environment is degraded or access to
environmental assets is limited or
denied.
By
maintaining
the
environment's health and productivity,
natural resources and environmental
tsox o.d
services maintain livelihood options and
potential for diversification. Variety is
essential because poor people need to
be able to diversify their use of natural
resources and environmental services
as conditions change."
POLICY RESPONSES
Policy interventions to address natural
resource scarcity for the world’s poor
people and- to reverse environmental
damage from over consumption in rich
countries must take into account the
diversity of the natural environment, the
many
and
varying
causes
of
environmental degradation and the
complex links between poverty and the
environment. Interventions should also
draw on past efforts to improve
environmental management:
• Environmental management cannot
be treated separately from other
development concerns. To achieve
significant, lasting results, it must be
integrated with efforts to reduce poverty
and achieve sustainable development.
Improving environmental management
in ways that benefit poor people
requires policy and in-situational
changes that cut across sectors and lie
mostly
outside
the
control
of
environmental institutions including
changes in governance, domestic
economic and social policies and
international and rich country policies.12
• Successful environmental policies
must see poor people not as part of the
problem but as part of the solution
(Boxes 6.2 and 6.3)
• Environmental problems must be
actively managed as part of the growth
process. Environmental improvements
Promoting equity and the environment—
a creative fiscal example from Brazil
In 1992 most Brazilian states adopted an ecological value added tax (Imposto sobre
Circulacao de Mercadonas e Services, or ICMS-E). A levy on goods, services,
energy and communications, the tax is the largest source ol revenue in Brazil.
One-quarter of the revenue goes to municipalities, with allocations to individual
municipalities based on various indicators of environmental performance. The states
ol Parana and Minas Gerais, for example, distribute revenue based on the proportion
of protected areas in each municipality, weighted by a conservation factor related to
protection of each area.
The ICMS-E was intended to compensate municipalities with large conservation
areas for the resulting loss of revenue. Revenue from the tax is often used to maintain
parks and reserves, including tool purchases and employee salaries.
In some states the tax appears to have significantly increased the number and size of
protected areas. In Parana conservation areas grew by more than 1 million hectares
between 1991 and 2000-a 165% increase. During 1995-2000 Minas Gerais also
added more than 1 million hectares-a 62% increase.
Source. May and others 2002.
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31
ANALYSIS ;... Lr.’g
Global fisheries getting sunk by subsidies
Around the world, fish stocks are being depleted because of unrestricted, highly
advanced fish harvesting. Overfishing occurs in Asia, parts of Africa and Latin
America and many small island countries-with overfishing by local residents often
aggravated by fishing fleets from rich countries. According to the United Nations Food
and Agriculture Organization, more than a quarter of the world’s fisheries are over
exploited or depleted.
Global subsidies for fishing are conservatively estimated at $ 10-15 billion a
year-about a quarter of the annual S56 billion trade in fish. These loans, tax
incentives and direct payments often support distant fleets that are too large given
available fish stocks. The United States provides about S 400.00 a boat to help its
fishers catch tuna in the South Pacific. In 1996 the European Union spent S252
million-a third of its budget for fisheries-on access agreements for its fleets to fish in
distant waters. The European Union also continues to spend more on harmful
subsidies-such as to build new boats or modernize old ones (1.2 billion euros in
2000-06 from EU and national budgets)-than on efforts to reduce fishing (1.1 billion
euros). According to the World Bank, only 5% of fishing subsidies have a positive
environmental aim. Most reduce fish stocks and hurt marine ecosystems.
Source. Institute lor European Environmental Policy 2002: WWF 1998: IFPRI 2001; Milazzo 1998.
cannot be deferred until rising incomes
make more resources available for
environmental protection.
Six policy principles should guide
environmental policies:
•
Strengthening institutions and
governance.
• Making environmental sustainability
part of all Sector policies.
• Improving markets and removing
environmentally damaging subsidies.
• Bolstering international mechanisms
for environmental management.
• Investing in science and technology
for the environment.
• Increasing efforts to conserve critical
ecosystems.
effective systems to manage global
resources such as oceans and the
climate. At the national level weak
property and user rights are a common
cause of environmental problems such
as deforestation, overgrazing and over
fishing. Managing open access to a
common resource is difficult because
the decisions of individuals and
companies are based on private costs
and benefits-and so can reduce
environmental
and
community
well-being.
To respond, local people must have
the power to manage the environmental
systems on which their livelihoods
depend. How? Partly by clarifying
overall property and user rights to
common resources, which may require
STRENGTHENING
INSTITUTIONS AND
GOVERNANCE
Many environmental problems
are grounded in institutional
failures and poor governance.
Three institutional failures are
especially
important
for
environmental
management:
inadequate property and user
rights, insufficient information
and opportunities for local
stake-holders to participate in
decision-making and
weak
monitoring and enforcement of
environmental standards (Box
6.4).
At the international level
institutional and governance
problems
are
evident
in
struggles
32
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to
develop
fair,
Dew-drops - how better wash away world's dust
reforming policies and institutions that
control access to land and natural
resources. And partly by strengthening
women's property rights, because
women tend to be more dependent on
environmental resources for their
livelihoods.
Decentralization
can
improve
environmental governance. But it should
be accompanied by efforts that build
community
capacity
to
manage
environmental resources and influence
planning and policy-making. Respecting
the rights of marginal and indigenous
groups, who often rely on natural
resources for much of their incomes, is
particularly important.
In many developing countries natural
resources are plundered by corruption,
benefiting powerful elites at the expense
of poor people who depend on such
resources.
Countering
corruption
requires strengthening governance, with
better enforcement, stiffer penalties and
increased community involvement. In
several countries citizens are assessing
how well governments provide access
to environmental decision-making and
regularly monitoring environmental
governance. Both efforts will likely spur
further progress.13
MAKING ENVIRONMENTAL
SUSTAINABILITY PART OF ALL
SECTOR POLICIES
Most sector policies affect the
environment,
but
too
often
environmental considerations do not
ANALYSIS SSSSSX
inform policy-making. More scientific
advice can ensure that understanding of
the natural world feeds into the political
process at all levels. Economic analysis,
incorporating
valuations
of
environmental assets, should also
inform policy-making in all sectors.
Sector policies with significant
effects on the environment should be
subject to rigorous environmental
impact assessments. In addition,
Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers- as
well as national development and sector
strategies-should explicitly address
environmental
protection
and
management. National governments,
multilateral organizations and bilateral
aid agencies need to systematically
incorporate
environmental
impact
assessments into their policies and
programmes.
Social policies related to the
Millennium Development Goals also
affect
environmental
quality.
Investments in human development,
particularly in education for women and
girls, offer numerous environmental
benefits, including reduced population
pressure. So, environmental policies
need to address the gender dimensions
of the links between poverty and the
environment, integrating them into the
formulation,
implementation
and
monitoring of Poverty Reduction
Strategies and related policy reforms.
National frameworks, such as
strategies for sustainable development,
should guide policies for natural
resource management in light of a
country's specific resources and
concerns. Many national environmental
action plans fail to address their effects
on other sectors and on the needs of
poor people. To improve environmental
policy-making, such plans should
explicitly address these concerns-as
well as their contributions towards
reaching the Goals.
IMPROVING MARKETS AND
REMOVING ENVIRONMENTALLY
DAMAGING SUBSIDIES
The normal operations of markets drive
apart private gains and social costs
because productive activities often
generate private benefits for economic
agents but impose costs on society.
Thus regulation or corrective taxation
may be required to align private and
public incentives with the need for
environmental protection.
Especially harmful are government
policies, such as direct or hidden
Box 6.6
resources.
Prices for irrigation water are an
important example. Even though water
is becoming more scarce in many
Felling forests-with subsidies
In 1998 the Group of Eight (Canada. France, Germany, Italy. Japan, the Russian
Federation, the United Kingdom, the United States) committed to protecting the
world’s forests. But some G-8 members continue to subsidize forest
industnes-undermining forest protection and accelerating forest loss
Among the most pervasive subsidies are low charges for logging companies cutting
old-growth wood on public lands, tax write-offs for logging companies, government
construction of logging roads at no cost to the companies that will use them and
direct grants to logging companies for, say, planning costs. Canada, Japan and the
United States are the leading G-8 subsidizers. Among European members. France
stands out as the only government with direct investments in logging companies.
Canada's subsidies total S 2.0-2.7 billion a year. Japan subsidizes sawmills that
process logs imported from old-growth forests in Canada, Siberia and elsewhere, and
its export promotion agencies support programmes that destroy old-growth forests
and hurt traditional communities in Australia, Indonesia and elsewhere. In the United
States timber sale programmes in national forests cost taxpayers more than S 2
billion in 1992-97. France is building roads and making related logging investments in
environmentally sensitive areas of Central Africa. Numerous studies have shown that
such road building does serious harm to the region's primary tropical forests. The
Russian Federation's forests are beset by massive illegal logging. Not collecting taxes
and fees from such operations is a type of subsidy, offset somewhat by the high risks
of doing business in the country.
Source. Sizer 2000. Myers and Kent 199B
subsidies, that send the wrong signals
by pricing environmental resources
inappropriately.
Reducing
environmentally damaging subsidies is
often far more cost-effective than
directly regulating economic activity.
Reflecting environmental costs in
market prices-through pollution charges
and other market-based policies-also
promotes
environmentally
sound
practices and sustainable use of natural
countries, it tends to be provided to
users almost free of charge. That
approach promotes waste, increases
soil waterlogging and salinization and
discourages farmers from investing in
water
conservation.
Other
environmentally damaging policies
include subsidies that promote largescale commercial fishing and forestry
and excessive use of agricultural
chemicals such as fertilizers and
De .-, drops-■ h.-.-. better wash away worid s dust
JCOFILE ; 33
flZQ,
ANALYSIS fiXUSXS
Box 6 7
Policy responses to climate change
Scientific evidence strongly supports immediate action to curb the greenhouse gas
emissions that cause global warming. The 1997 Kyoto Protocol places most of this
burden on rich countries-because while they contain only 16% of the world's
population, they generate 51% of such emissions.
The protocol calls on rich countries to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by at least
5% of 1990 levels by 2008-12. Supporters of the protocol see this as an important
step towards mitigating climate change Opponents castigate it for unnecessarily
high implementation costs-due to restrictions on emissions trading-and for a lack of
emission limits for poor countries. Another criticism is that, even if fully
implemented, the protocol would reduce the average global temperature by less
than 0.15 degrees Celsius by 2100.
The United States, which produces 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions, has
refused to ratify the protocol. Without US participation, no international agreement
on climate change is likely to significantly reduce the threat of global warming But
international cooperation is required to provide incentives for the private sector,
consumers and governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
To increase acceptance of the protocol, more attention should be paid to minimizing
the costs of combating climate change. It will also be important to build on the Clean
Development Mechanism, which permits reductions in carbon emissions through
innovative international trading systems
In addition, there is scope for long-term reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in
rich and poor countries beyond the terms of the Kyoto Protocol:
• Developing clean energy technologies solar or wind energy, fuel cells,
hydropower, geothermal energy-that release little or no carbon dioxide. Making
these technologies cost- competitive with fossil fuels will require increasing public
investment in research and development and removing fossil fuel subsidies.
• Developing safe, economical carbon sequestration technologies that prevent the
release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Promising examples include natural
carbon sinks such as forests, sequestration in deep seas and mines and chemical
fixation of carbon dioxide as thermodynamically stable metal carbonates.
• Increasing energy efficiency through more efficient vehicles, appliances, lighting
and industrial motors, and through reduced electricity transmission losses.
Source: UN 1997, Nordhaus and Boyer 1999. pp. 93-130; World Bank 2003i. Baumert and others 2002
pesticides (Boxes 6.5 and 6.6).
Topping the list of damaging
subsidies, however, are those for fossil
fuel consumption. Worldwide, their
value exceeds all foreign aid from all
sources.'4 There is growing consensus
that energy subsidies should focus on
expanding access to technology,
developing and disseminating cleaner
fuels
and
increasing
end
use
efficiency-not promoting consumption.
As some European countries show,
pricing fossil fuels appropriately can
provide a powerful incentive for
increasing the use of renewable energy.
The lower unit costs of renewable
energy technologies benefit both rich
countries and developing countries
considering their adoption.
Policy interventions should also
account for the impact of economic
activities on environmental assets.
National income accounts (such as
GDP) should differentiate between
in-come from sustainable use of natural
resources (sustainable agriculture and
34
gpOFILE
forestry) and from activities that reduce
stocks of natural capital (extracting
minerals or oil). These accounts should
also include the effects of economic
activities on environmental quality and
productivity, such as soil and water
degradation.
Such "green" accounts place
environmental problems in a framework
that economic ministries understand.
They also encourage decision-makers
in finance, planning and sector
ministries to pay more attention to
environmental degradation. When the
costs of environmental degradation and
natural
resource
depletion
are
accounted for, Sub-Saharan Africa's net
savings rate goes from positive to
negative in most years between 1976
and 2000.
BOLSTERING INTERNATIONAL
MECHANISMS FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Environmental degradation rarely stops
Dew-drops - how better wash away world s dust
at
national
borders,
yet
many
environmental policies and institutions
do. International watersheds, fisheries,
pollution and climate change pose
environmental policy challenges that
must be addressed by countries
working together-because the actions
of one country affect the welfare of
others. Compounding the problem are
the unequally distributed benefits of
environmental services and the costs of
managing them within and between
countries.
Several international environmental
agreements have drawn attention to the
need to manage the global environment.
But implementation of these agreements
could be improved. Greater emphasis
should be placed on the needs of poor
people, particularly in reaching the
Goals. And more needs to be done to
build developing countries' capacity to
Implement these agreements and
integrate
them
with
national
policy-making.
New institutional arrangements may
be needed to coordinate national
policies in response to regional and
global
environmental
challenges.
Stronger cooperation is needed for
regional environmental management.
The countries along the Rhine river
show how costs and benefits can be
shared in managing an international
watershed.
Intergovernmental processes tend to
be difficult to organize and slow to
execute, but they are the only realistic
way to address cross-border pollution
and
ecosystem
degradation.
International agreements should share
burdens equitably and ensure that the
benefits of better environmental
management accrue to the local people
who bear the direct costs and lost
opportunities of environmental resource
protection. The Montreal Protocol-the
international agreement to protect the
ozone layer-has been a resounding
success of global environmental policy.
But its implementation was facilitated by
cost-effective
alternatives
to
ozone-depleting substances, limiting
the need for extensive benefit- and
cost-sharing between rich and poor
countries.
Although rich countries produce
most of the emissions that lead to
global warming, the effects are felt all
over the world. Meanwhile, progress on
curbing these emissions has been
mixed (Box 6.7)
INVESTING IN SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY FOR THE
ENVIRONMENT
Available technologies can go a long
way towards addressing complex
environmental
challenges
cost-effectively. Needed are ways to
provide these technologies to people
who need them most. In poor
countries this will often require
significantly strengthening institutional
capacities
for
technological
cooperation.
Improving
technologies
for
environmental problems will require
dramatically reorienting research and
development policies. In rich countries
public investment in energy research
and
development-including
for
renewable
energy-has
dropped
precipitously over the past two
decades.'5
Given the need to
address climate change, increased
investment is essential to expand
markets
for
renewable
energy
technologies and lower unit costs.
benefiting rich countries and enabling
poor countries to adopt the same
solutions.
Scientific understanding of the
natural world is substantial, but a
remarkable amount remains unknown.
No mechanism exists to track major
ecosystems and their continued ability
to produce needed goods and
services. A Life Observatory should
be established to systematically
monitor major ecosystems such as
coastal habitats, major watersheds
and wetlands. Such an observatory
would complement current efforts.
including
the
Global Terrestrial
Observing System, the Global Climate
Observing System and the Global
Ocean Observing System.
The Life Observatory should build
on
the
Millennium
Ecosystem
Assessment,
a
four-year effort
involving 1,500 scientists compiling
the best available knowledge on the
world's ecosystems and the services
they provide. The Life Observatory
would ensure that these analyses are
continuously updated to map the
long-term effects of human activities
on specific ecosystems
To
devise
responses,
policy-makers
require
reliable
scientific forecasts of human-induced
environment change. Environmental
indicators that accurately track the
environment should be developed and
integrated with national policy making.
Long-term planning should factor in
projected changes in climate and
changes to specific ecosystems to
assess how these trends will affect
development progress and needs.
INCREASING EFFORTS TO
CONSERVE CRITICAL
ECOSYSTEMS
Creating protected areas is often the
best way to conserve species diversity
and critical ecosystems. More than
60% of terrestrial species are found in
25 ecoregions on just over 1% of
Earth's
land
surface.
These
biodiversity hotspots face extreme
threats that have already caused a
70%
loss
of
their
original
vegetation.'6
The best hope for conserving
biodiversity and critical ecosystems is
Available technologies
can go a long way
towards addressing
cc
environmental
challenges cost-
for the world's governments, scientists
and other key stake-holders to set
priorities and cooperate on common
goals. Conservation efforts are most
effective when constructed by experts
from a wide array of disciplines, in
consultation with local residents
Well-managed protected areas can
generate significant revenues through
tourism and innovative financial
mechanisms, such as payments for
ecosystem services. Local people,
particularly poor people, should be
seen as part of the solution-not part
of the problem. People whose
livelihoods depend on protected areas
must benefit from them and have a
stake in their continued success.
Otherwise such efforts will not be
sustainable
(“This article has been reprinted from HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2003 by United
Nations Development Programme, copyright —
2003 by the United Nations Development
Programme Used by permission of Oxford
University Press. Inc )
Notes
1
2.
3.
4
5.
6
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16
UNDP. DFID and World Bank 2002.
IMF 2000.
WEHAB Working Group 2002b
UNDP 2002d; UNDP.
DFID and World Bank 2002.
UNDP. DFID and World Bank 2002.
Khemani 2001.
Khemani 2001.
IPCC 2001a.
UNDP. WEC and UNDESA 2000.
UNDP. WEC and UNDESA 2000.
Koziell and McNeill 2002.
UNDP. DFID and World Bank 2002.
Perkova and others 2003.
UNDP, WEC and UNDESA 2000.
IEA 1999.
Myers and others 2000.
Dew-drops - how better wash away world s dust
gCOFILE
35
<'tdSS>
ACROSS THE GLOBE
The only work is to exist
in a shattered continent
The population in 38 countries of the
African continent was 34,1%; lowest
during the time between 1975-84. The
percentage increased to 54 between
1995-2000.
' There are only 3 countries in the
African continent existing on a higher
scale in comparison of existence. The
total population of these 3 countries is
only 6.5% out of the total population
of the continent.
' Out of the total percentage of carbon
dioxide that oozes from industries and
sources of fuels in the world, only 2 or
3 percent oozes from Africa. But
Africa suffers most as the reactions
occur due to the change in weather
The maximum draught, flood and
cyclones occur in this continent.
■ The forest areas in Africa will
disappear within 50 to 100 years The
forest life in this continent will no
longer exist because of the changes in
weather.
[Courtesy: Policy, Research Report
from Economic Commission for Africa,
Harnessing
Technologies
for
Sustainable Development]
sea-lions can also see through less
light. Hundreds and hundreds of
and selling.
pigeons are supplied to the US
Military and Navy. These pigeons are
used for checking whether there is
The victory of solar power users
The solar energy users In California
BMMEZiZSZZZd
Mine, Nerve gas, Dolphins
and Pigeons
Various animals are being used in the
war. The US military used dolphins in
Iraq war. These dolphins were used to
clear off the mines laid on sea. The
dolphins trained by the US army did
not come into direct contact with the
mines. They would push other things
any nerve-gas. Pigeons die faster then
human beings in nerve or any other
gases. Thus it can be understood by
the death of pigeons that there are
nerve gases.
The lawsuit against McDonald's
towards the mines from a distance to
Recently, some lawyers of US filed a
blast them off.
lawsuit against McDonald's, the fast
The US Navy informed that the
organic systems of the dolphins to feel
the
sound
wave
is
much
more
improved than that of any electronic
food company. Their allegation was
that the food value of the foods that
will not have to pay an extra fee.
Earlier
it
was
said
that
the
neighbouring states, who will produce
solar power themselves bypassing the
California grid, will have to pay an
extra fee. Later on, the Public Utilities
Commission of California nullified it. It
is noteable that many people from
California implemented the system for
producing electricity, using solar
energy, electricity and other fuels.
McDonald's claims is misleading The
allegation is a second one. The main
system made by human beings. So
complain came from the parents of
The GM crops
the dolphins are at a lesser risk. The
two girls earlier. It was mentioned in
dolphins were helped by some sea
the complaint that, McDonald's does
The farmers of Rio in Brazil, have
protested against the GM crops
recently. Though it is prohibited by the
government in Brazil to cultivate the
GM crops commercially. 80% of the
produced soya crops are from the GM
marine
not state properly the ingredients of
animals that the US Navy had trained.
the food and the reaction it has. The
The sea lions have the power of
second
hearing under water. Besides,
McDonald's cheats in food processing
lions. These sea-lions are
36
fpOFILE
the
Dew-drops - how better wash away world s dust
allegation
stated
that
ACROSS THE GLOBE F1'. ;'
seeds which is marketed illegally in
Rio. These seeds are being smuggled
from Argentina. The small farmers
who use the usual soya seeds
gathered and protested in front of the
local office of Monsanto Company of
Research Centre, K V Kamath, the
Chief Executive of a bank, Dipak
Dasgupta, Former Chairperson of
National Highway Authority of India,
and G C Sandu, the former Chief
Engineer of Orissa Government.
J/-W, Ful-iciim un-JJnJJa
Gas
the capital. The farmers alleged that
the Monsanto Company and a
government organization created the
black-market of GM seeds. They
claimed compensation for this.
The lifting of the underground
water led to depression of surface
Due to
lifting
of water from
underground in a random process, the
earth sank in some districts of Uttar
Pradesh in India. The districts include
Fatehpur, Farukhabad, Kanauj and
Urao. The
current
incident of
depression of surface occurred in two
villages of Fatehpur. The first incident
occurred in some villages of Kanauj
and Farukhabad in the middle of
1995. The districts are plain areas and
the Ganga and some other rivers flow
through them.
Planning for interlinking rivers
5 new members in task force
The Prime Minister of India, Atal
Bihari Vajpayee, appointed 5 more
members in the task force who are
responsible
for
planning
the
interlinking of the rivers in India The 5
members are R K Pachuri, The
Director of Tata Energy Research
Institute, K Kasturi Rangan, The
Chairperson
of
Indian
Space
Ram Nayek, the Minister for Petroleum
and Natural Gas of India, announced
that the gas pipeline from Iran to India
will be set up through the deep sea
instead of via Pakistan. Later, Shakur
Khan, the Petroleum Minister of
Pakistan sent an invitation to India for
joining the "Turkmenistan - Afghanistan
- Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project,"
proposed by him. But no response has
been shown by India yet. The fuel
analysts and the government officials
in New Delhi informed that no oil
company yet showed any interest in
any of the proposed two projects. It has
been seen in the previous survey that if
the pipeline is channelled through deep
sea from Iran to India, the cost of gas
will be 2 to 10 times more than that of
bringing it through land. Many people
doubt whether there is a full-proof
technology available to set up pipeline
in deep sea.
Meanwhile, Iran is trying very hard
for setting up this gas pipeline. For
this,
Mohammad
Khatami,
the
President of Iran, made a visit to
India. Iran described it as a "pipeline
for peace". It will cost 65 million
dollars for setting the pipeline through
Pakistan. Pakistan proposed for
implementing the pipeline through
land and that it will ensure its safety in
exchange of money. India has rejected
the proposal on grounds of safety. On
the other hand discussions are being
held to set up gas pipelines from
Daulatabad of Turkmenistan up to
Pakistan. A decision has been taken
to invite India for joining the project,
stating that it will benefit all if the
pipeline extends up to India. The
Asian Development Bank promised to
give 10 lakh dollar for survey of the
proposed pipeline.
Argument over the water of River
Sindh
There is going to be a long debate
between India and Pakistan regarding
the water of river Sindh. Accepting the
proposal, the legislative assembly of
Jammu and Kashmir invited the
central government of India to review
the 'Sindh Water' agreement for the
interest of common people. It is stated
in the proposal that it will compensate
Jammu and Kashmir for their loss due
to this agreement. An estimate states
that the amount of loss is 6 thousand
5 hundred crore of rupees in a year.
According
to
the
Sind
water
agreement, India left its claim upon
river Sindh and its two tributaries. The
two rivers are Jhilam and Chenub. In
exchange, India got control over three
rivers. Those are Sutlej, Ravi and Bias
or Bipasha. The agreement had been
signed in May 1960 between India and
Pakistan with arbitration of World
Bank. Australia, Canada. Germany,
New Zealand, US and UK.
The specialists believe that if the
agreement gets suspended, the
economic condition of Pakistan will
suffer very much. It is assumed that
14 lakhs of people will be staying
without food if 1% of water flow is
reduced in river Sind and its
tributaries
These
people
are
dependent on the water of these
rivers.
Meanwhile, the relation between
India and Pakistan may become
critical due to the building a hydro
electricity project on river Chenub in
Jammu and Kashmir. A meeting was
held in Islamabad, capital of
Pakistan, regarding this matter in
last February. But it was not fruitful.
Pakistan now is trying to engage a
neutral expert with the initiative of
the World Bank and permission of
India. The officials of Pakistan said
that they are trying for arbitration
through World Bank and if India
does not agree with it, they will go to
the International Court.
An official in India said that no
clause of the agreement has been
violated. The implementation will be
done, according to the agreement and
specified
time.
There
is
an
apprehension that though the "Sindh
Water Treaty" was unaffected in spite
of
the
war
and
diplomatic
disagreement of the two countries.
now it may not be so any more.
Dew-drops - nc..*. better wash away world's dust I fCOFILE . 37
ACROSS THE GLOBE
HYDROGEN FUEL : ENORMOUS
POSSIBILITY—PROBLEMS AS WELL
The US President, George Bush in his
State of the Union speech last January
said, “I am proposing a budget of 1.2
billion dollars for an experiment so that
America can lead the world in inventing
the eco-friendly vehicles driven by
hydrogen.’’
The announcement of President
Bush confirms one of the endeavours
to develop economy based on
hydrogen fuel instead of oil. The
automobile industry is in the forefront
of this research endeavour. The
automobile industry spent at least 2
billion dollars in the last few years
studying on hydrogen fuel cells. But the
improvement of the so-called big oil
companies with the research of
hydrogen fuel draws attention. The
shell company formed two companies,
namely Shell Renewable in 1997 and
Shell Hydrogen in 2000. The other
largest oil company in the world
BP/AMOCO will invest 500 million
dollars in renewables over the next 3
years. The Chevron Texaco Oil
Company had bought 20% of Energy
Conversion
Device from Detroit
Photovoltyck Battery and the Fuel Cell
Company of US. Another oil company
Exxon announced that they will invest
100 million dollars jointly with the car
38
fpOFILE
manufacturers General Motors and
Toyota for a similar kind of research.
There is a debate about, for how long
the oil can be lifted at a minimum cost
from the oil wells in the world. Some
leading
geologists dealing
with
petroleum said that the oil production
will reduce in the world within lesser
time than what it was estimated earlier.
Recently, the European Union
announced that they are investing 3.56
billion dollars in the project, targeted
towards reducing the dependence on
oil of the European countries. Though
the big automobile manufacturers said
that the market will be captured by the
hydrogen fuel cell driven cars by the
end of this decade, nevertheless there
is still considerable uncertainty
regarding when the hydrogen economy
will take off. Regarding this, Phil Watts,
Chairperson, Royal Dutch/Shell said,
"To tell you the truth, I do not know the
answer". It has been seen in a
calculation that 25% improvement will
be made around 2050. This is an
optimistic
assumption.
But
the
petroleum and gas will be required for
50 more years.
Seth Dunn, Research Assistant,
World Watch Institute, USA said, “Just
as the aggressive tapping of oil
Dew-drops - how better wash away world's dust
enabled the US to become the
economic and political power of the
20th century, nations that move first to
harness hydrogen could potentially
erode US competitiveness."
It is assumed that the fuel cell
market of Europe will be 55 billion
dollars by 2040. The way it is
proceeding at present, Iceland may be
the first country in Europe to be free
from oil dependence. In a joint report,
made by Worldwide Fund for Nature
and Iceland Nature Conservation
Association said that around 2020,
40% of cars and trailers will be driven
by hydrogen and within 35 years it will
be 100%. This eco-friendly gas will be
produced from water. For this process,
the hydrogen electricity and wind
power will be used.
Canada, Japan, Singapore and
China have already been investing a
huge amount of money in this work.
Moreover, the oil rich countries like
Dubai and Saudi Arabia are investing
in production and research for a long
time. There are many complications in
producing hydrogen. There are various
methods for producing this. The natural
gas is used in one of the methods. It
has been proved that the method
where natural gases are used is the
cheapest one. The highest quality of
gas will be produced in the world
between 2020-2030. After that, it is
suspected the energy crisis will arise
for the second time. It can also arise
just after the scarcity of oil.
Meanwhile, protesting the
plan of producing hydrogen by
the US, the environment workers
said, "This is a dirty energy
plan." Their is a doubt regarding
one of the methods, where coal
and atomic power are used in
producing
hydrogen.
Dun
Beeker, the Chief of Ciera Club
Global Warming and Energy
programme, US, criticized the
programmes of George Bush
and said, "The whole thing's a
fraud. He's going to try to snatch
defeat from the jaws of victory by
creating hydrogen out of coal,
nuclear (power) and gasoline."
Japan is trying to produce
hydrogen using seawater and
wind power like Iceland. This is
the most eco-friendly method.
ACROSS THE GLOBE
But it is the most expensive one. Japan
has decided to produce hydrogen from
wastages too. One of the big obstacles
in producing hydrogen fuel is the
massive expenditure. In an oil driven
engine it costs 20 dollars per kilo watt.
The cost of the hydrogen driven engine
is 800 dollars. But the specialists say
that since the demand is so less, it
does cost much more. It is being tried
to bring down the cost. One specialist
said that the developing countries will
actually be benefited by hydrogen
economy. Those countries, which do
not have the oil wells, will be benefited
as well. But the editor of the periodical
environment
magazine
"E" Jim
Motavali cautioned, "A fair question to
ask is whether the hydrogen future will
be driven by big energy companies or
reached over their dead bodies,"
Jason Mark, the Director of Union of
Concerned Scientists said, "We don't
want to wake up in the middle of the
night and find that our dream of a
clean hydrogen revolution has become
a nightmare." [DTE]
Genetically Modified Food Help
Refused by India
The genetic Engineering Approval
Committee (GENC) in India discarded
the
proposal
of importing
the
genetically modified Soya-crops in
India for the second time within 5
months. Two organizations of the
North proposed for importing 23
thousand tons of genetically modified
Soya-crops into India. The two
organizations were Care International
and Catholic Relief Service. Care,
Catholic Relief Service and the
International
Development
Masri has started their fight again, this
time
against
the
environmental
pollution in USA. Now their targets are
the three oil companies. Their
allegation is that these companies are
polluting the roads of Beverly Hills,
which may create cancer.
Erin Brockovich and Ed Masri
hinted that they will file lawsuit against
the three companies Auxidental
Petroleum, Chevron Texaco and
Venoco on behalf of the 80 cancer
patients. Their allegation is that the
poisonous gas getting out from the oil
well in the field of Beverly Hills High
School may cause cancer and those
three companies are avoiding the
issue. The sample of air from the
school field has been tested and it was
found that a poisonous gas is oozing
out from one place.
Brockovich and Ed Masri have
gained fame internationally for the
movie 'Erin Brockovich'. In this movie,
the struggle against the Pacific Gas
and Electric Company has been
highlighted. They filed a lawsuit and the
company compensated 3.33 billion
dollars to the city of Hinckley in
Organization of US submitted their
proposals in New Delhi, the capital of
India. The GEAC told them to produce
a certificate, giving guarantee that the
imported crops will not contain the
crops of 'Starlink' brand. But the
importers could not show the
certificate. It is to be noted that in
USA, the crops of 'Starlink' brand has
been declared as an inappropriate
food for human beings
The International Development
Organization is funding for the food
relief project of Care
Many birds will not exist
and Catholic Relief
The birds are getting lost. The rate in which the
Service. This food was
various species of birds are getting extinct, it did
planned
to
be
not happen to any other animals in the world after
distributed under the
the dinosaur were extinct around 6 crores of years
project
titled
ago. It has been stated in a report by the research
Coordinate
Child
institute in USA, World Watch Institute. It has been
Development Service.
suspected in the report that 9800 species of birds
A
company
called
can get extinct by the pressure of more than 620
"Aventis
SA"
is
crores of people in the world.
producing the Starlink
The things that are causing harm to the birds
are—the damaging of birds nest, deforestation,
type
crops.
The
destroying of marsh lands and pasture grounds
Environment Protection
and the various improvement work mainly
Association of USA,
construction of the roads. Only in USA, around 40
gave the consent for
million birds die every year due to building of
using this food as cattle
communication towers. It has also been said that
feed
in
1998
In
various species of snakes, mice, cats, insects and
September 2000, all
trees are also the cause for extinction of 25%
the
foods
were
endangered birds of various species. Till now 22
withdrawn from the
species of birds became extinct due to animals,
outlets
from
entire
insects and trees. These animals and insects kill 10
USA, after knowing that
million birds only in USA. It has been said in the
report that change of weather is also troubling the
the Starlink food had
birds.
entered
into
food
distribution. Then the
'Starlink' became the news headlines.
To save the environment
The environmental activists Erin
Brockovich and her companion, Ed
California for the damage caused by
water pollution. In this movie Julia
Roberts acted as Brockovich. She
received the best actress Oscar Award
for her brilliant performance.
Dew-drops ■ how baiter wash away world's dust
fCOFILE
39
FACE TO FACE f.TO»
The
Village
Education
Resource Centre (VERC) is
working for sanitation in the
rural areas of Bangladesh. A
discussion
was
held
regarding various VERC
programmes at their office in
Savar. Ecofile interviewed
Yaqub
Hossain,
Deputy
Director, VERC and Project
coordinator
WATSAN,
Mohammad Masud Hassan,
Assistant
Coordinator,
WATSAN and
Technical
Department of VERC, and
Mohammad Kamrul Islam,
Manager, Hygiene Promotion,
VERC. The highlights of the
interview are as follows :
offered them the technology. We
could not fulfil 100% target. The old
method was not effective for every
place. Sometimes it did not even suit
the geographical condition. Suppose
we advise to use bamboo on the roof;
but it was seen in some places that
bamboo was not available very easily.
May be we gave the rings and slabs
for the latrines and the villagers build
(EF)-What are the characteristics
of VERC's sanitary programme?
Yaqub Hossain (YH)-VERC thinks
that in case of sanitation, it is mainly
community
work.
We
engage
common people in the programme to
achieve the ultimate goal. In the
areas where work goes on, we make
the local people understand about the
sanitary condition of that locality, the
diseases and the socio economic
impact, and then VERC offers the
technical help to build latrines. The
people select the technology for
constructing latrines. VERC assists
them in doing the work smoothly.
Mohammad Kamrul Islam (MKI)-The
speciality in the programme of VERC
is to establish public ownership.
People will choose the technology
for constructing their latrines and
VERC will do it for them according to
their choice. People give their
opinions freely and take the decision
on their own. VERC does not
pressurize for any specific thing.
Mohammad
Masud
Hassan
(MMH)-The speciality of the project
of VERC is that people do the total
work, from planning to evaluation.
(YH)-We were not getting any results
from the method we used to follow
three years ago. Like others, we used
to approach the village people
following a specific method, and
the latrines, but it was found that the
latrines were not hygienic or they
were stinking. Hence they did not use
the latrines. Then we readjusted our
method. We try to learn from the
ordinary people.
(MMH)-VERC applies the method of
overall approach in implementing its
sanitation programme. Due to this
method, the villagers themselves
could invent technologies for building
latrines. They use this opportunity
according to their abilities. If today a
villager spends Tk 17 or less for a
latrine, later with the improvement
of his financial condition, he spends
more for a better quality latrine.
(YH)-While
implementing
the
sanitation programme, we saw the
40
fpOFILE
Flexible participatory
system required for
sanitation programme
Yaqub Hossain
Dew-drops - how better wash away world's dust
villagers
themselves
invented
different technologies for the latrines.
We call these inventors the "Rural
Sanitation Engineers". They also feel
proud and honoured, getting the
recognition as a rural engineer.
(MKI)-The VERC method of working
can easily be followed by others to
implement programme anywhere.
This is also a speciality of VERC's
method. VERC tries to inspire the
villagers, hence the villagers come
forward to turn the programme into
reality.
(MMH)-The way VERC works is, we
start a small project somewhere and
later it gradually spreads and grows
into a big project. We do not put
burden on anyone. We try that the
demand should get created by the
people.
(YH)-The people should take as
much as they can afford and VERC
works in that way.
(MMH)- We give priority to both quan
titative and qualitative aspects while
fulfilling the target. The programme
does not only depend on technologies
but also tries to assemble the
people and identify their needs.
(EF)- What problems does VERC
face in implementing the sanitation
programme?
(YH)-VERC did not face any problem
while working with the government
officials. They have a very positive
mentality.
(MKI)-One of the problems is that the
other organizations, who are involved
in sanitation programme, follow the
old and conventional methods. They
think supplying the rings and slabs to
the villagers is sufficient for building
latrines, which actually is not true.
(MMH)-Various organizations are
constructing latrines in villages by
giving subsidies. VERC does not do
so. VERC had to face some problems
in some places in the beginning
where the people used to get
subsidy from others.
(YH)-VERC does not provide subsidy
in building latrines.
(MKI)-Another problem is the local
condition. The way a latrine has to be
build in a place where water logging
may happen because of rains will not
be the same as places like hilly or
coastal areas. A lot of people do not
concentrate on this issue. This is also
a problem.
FACE TO FACE F “T/tt
(YH)-The flexible method in providing
latrine or sanitation is not accepted by
a number of funding organizations yet.
(MKI)-There were one or two persons
in every locality who opposed the
top and that is another success.
(MKI)-Participation of the villagers
may be mentioned as a success as
well.
(EF)-What are the future challenges9
(YH)-The method followed by VERC
needs the support and patronization
for its expansion which we did not get
yet. There are limitations of the fund
for VERC.
(MKI)-To bring the
necessary
changes in moral ethics is a big
challenge for us. Another challenge is
Mohmmad Masood Hasan
programme at the beginning. Later
on, they themselves become active
supporters and workers.
(EF)-What are the main successes of
VERC sanitation programme ?
(YH)-The way VERC works, the
method itself is a success. We
adopted this method on the basis of
our previous experience. The method
is flexible and it says "learn from the
people''- that is the principle.
(MMH)-One of our successes is
while building the latrine rather than
sticking to one technology, we
introduced a number of appropriate
technologies to the people. We plan
and execute the work from bottom to
Monammad Kamrul Islam
to bring changes in the practice and
habit in terms of sanitation and to
review the methods followed by other
organizations who are involved in
sanitation.
(EF)-What conditions should be
fulfilled to expand sanitation work in
other places?
(YH)—First of all, we have to change
the attitude as well as the structural
pattern of the organizations who are
involved in this kind of work. It needs
flexible
and
participatory
organizational structure as well as
the participation of people.
(MMH)-We have to adopt such a
method whereby the programme
planners can
take
their own
decisions.
(MKI)— It is not only the supply of
technology that works in sanitation.
(MMH)—The creativity of the society
should be respected. It is not only
providing the sanitary latrines — the
habits relating to sanitation should be
scrutinized and changed at the same
time.
To expand sanitation programme, the
required basics are —
* Flexibility and ensuring participation
of the people.
* Effective campaign for appropriate
technologies suitable for geographical
and socio-economic background —
(with 3 conditions to fulfill the technical
aspect).
1. Mosquito, flies, insects and duck or
hen will not come in contact with
latrines.
2. There will be no bad smell.
3. The environment will not be
polluted.
•
Bottom
up
planning
and
implementation.
* Full coverage.
• To empower people in terms of
technology rather then making them
dependent on external funds.
DEFINITIONS
* Access to an improved water source refers to the percentage of the population with reasonable access to an adequate
amount of water from an improved source, such as a household connection, public standpipe, borehole, protected well or
spring, or rainwater collection. Unimproved sources include vendors, tanker trucks, and unprotected wells and springs.
Reasonable access to an adequate amount is defined as the availability of at least 20 liters a person a day from a source within
one kilometer of the dwelling. (World Health Organization; the data are for 2000).
• Access to sanitation is the share of population with access to at least adequate excreta disposal facilities (Private or shared.
but not public) that can effectively prevent human, animal, and insect contact with excreta. Improved facilities range from simple
but protected pit latrines to flush toilets with a sewerage connection. To be effective, facilities must be correctly constructed and
properly maintained. (World Health Organization; the data are for 2000).
• Annual deforestation refers to the permanent conversion of natural forest area to other uses, including shifting cultivation,
permanent agriculture, ranching, settlements, and infrastructure development. Deforested areas do not include areas logged
but intended for regeneration or areas degraded by fuelwood gathering, acid precipitation, or forest fires Negative numbers
indicate an increase in forest areas. (Food and Agriculture Organization; the data are for the period 1990-2000).
• Bird species (threatened) are the number of birds classified by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as endangered.
vulnerable, rare, indeterminate, out of danger, or insufficiently known. (World Conservation Monitoring Center. IUCN; the data
are for 2002).
• Freshwater resources refer to total renewable resources, which include flows of rivers and groundwater from rainfall in the
country, and river flows from other countries. Freshwater resources per capita are calculated using the World Bank's population
estimates. (The World Resources Institute, the estimates are for 2000).
• Net forest depletion is calculated as the product of unit resource rents and the excess of roundwood harvest over natural
growth. If growth exceeds harvest, this figure is zero. (FAO, World Bank estimates of natural growth; the data are for 2001).
Dew-drops
how bettor wash away world's dust
JCOFILE
41
INITIATIVES
Global campaign must to compel them to
compensate for pollution
Minister for Environment and Forest
Shajahan Siraj on July 20 2003 called for
seizing the opportunity of global
environmental campaign to compel the
developed countries to compensate for
the pollution they were causing by
massive emissions of Green House
Gases (GHG).
Addressing
a
workshop
on
“Opportunities under Clean Development
Mechanism (CDM) in Bangladesh" he
said that the mechanisms evolved from
the 1992 Kyoto Protocol created an
opportunity for the developing countries
like Bangladesh to boost their economy
and protect environment with increased
investments
from
the
developed
countries.
"CDM appeared to be a great
opportunity for us to boost our economy
and protect our environment," he said in
the workshop joined by business leaders,
environmental
activists,
officials,
development practitioners and economic
analysts
and
representatives
of
development partners.
Waste
Concern,
a
leading
environmental
consultant
group,
organized the day-long workshop in
collaboration with the Ministry of
Environment and Forest and
United
Nations
Development
Programme
(UNDP). Secretary for the Ministry of
Environment and Forest Sabihuddm
Ahmed chaired the workshop.
Executive Director of Waste Concern
A.H.
Mohammad
Maksud
Sinha
delivered the welcome address.
Industries in 39 developed countries
are legally obliged to extend financial
support towards the environment-friendly
units to help them reduce GHG
emissions in line with the Kyoto Protocol,
as part of the carbon trading process
under
the
Clean
Development
Mechanism (CDM), the workshop
participants were informed.
State Minister for Environment and
Forest Jafrul Islam Chowdhury, who
joined the discourse as the special guest,
laid emphasis on creation of a “congenial
atmosphere" in the country to attract
foreign investments under the CDM.
It was said that most of the CDM
funds were currently directed to Latin
American and African countries while the
neighbouring India already began to
allure investments in Asia under the
carbon
trading
process
of the
mechanism.
According to an estimate, it will cost
US dollar 15 for an industrial unit to
reduce one tonne of GHG emission in a
developed
country,
whereas
the
expenditure will be only US dollar five in
a developing country.
Carbon trading is an economic
tool which, in essence, allows
for several parties to meet
emission limits. If one party
can reduce emissions at
a lower cost than a
second party, the first
party could maximize
emission reductions
and
sell
any
surplus reductions
to the second
t party to
help
I meet
its
reduction
requirements the
speakers said.
According to
the Kyoto protocol, industries in the
developed countries are legally bound to
reduce the GHG emission by 50 per cent
in their own countries and 50 per cent
globally to bring the emission level back
to the 1990 level.
President
of
Federation
of
Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce
and Industries (FBCCI) Yusuf Abdullah
Harun termed the CDM compelling the
39 industrial nations to reduce GHG
emissions globally as the most important
outcome of the Kyoto Protocol.
"Bangladesh, also a signatory to the
Kyoto Protocol, must take full advantage
of the CDM for its environment as well as
economy against the backdrop of poverty
and lack of resources," he said.
Sabihuddin Ahmed affirmed that a
process was underway to form a
"designated national authority" to attract
and regulate foreign investments under
the
CDM
process
involving
all
stakeholders.
He laid emphasis on developing a
partnership between the government and
the private sector to enhance the
“receiving capacity” under the CDM
process
to
ensure
"economic
development locally and environmental
promotion globally”.
Deputy Resident Representative of
UNDP
Larry
Maramis
lauded
Bangladesh's
effort
towards
environmental protection but stressed the
need for undertaking prompt actions to
attract the CDM
funds
for its
industrialization with clean technology.
Director of Waste Concern Iftekhar
Enayetullah and Director, Department of
Environment,
Reazuddin
Ahmed
explained the Bangladesh prospects in
tapping the CDM funds identifying
energy, forestry and waste management
as major sectors.
The speakers said industries in the
developing
countries
can
be
technologically upgraded and made
environment-friendly through the CDM
projects contributing to the global climate
protection as well as promotion of
sustainable development in the host
country.
Impact of Global Warming in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh is a low carbon dioxide
emitting country. For instance, the per
INITIATIVES S=XSSSS
capita carbon dioxide emission is
estimated at 0.2 ton/year, while the
average for developing countries is 1.6
ton/year. In USA the per capita emission
is 20 ton/year.
The low GHG emission status
however provides no relief from the
effects of Global Warming because 1.5
meter rise in sea level would inundate
an area of 22,000 sq. km of
Bangladesh, affecting 17 million people.
Obviously Bangladesh is likely to be
• Determine the Quantity of Methane in
the Gas (landfill gas is typically 60%
methane)
• Convert the Volume of Gas in Tons of
Methane
• Multiply the Tons of Methane By
Global Warming Potential to Get the
Amount of GHG Reduction in Tons
Equivalent of Carbon Dioxide (eCO2)
A hypothetical example of green house
gas reductions in landfill is given below:
• Landfill gas flow: 81562 cubic
meter/day
of
Global Warming Potential (GWP) of Key GHG
landfill gas
Green House Gas
Global Warming Potential
•
Methane
Carbon dioxide (Co2)
1
Concentration
Methane (CH4)
21
@60% = 48937
Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
310
cubic meter/day
of methane
Hydroflurocarbons (HFC's)
140-11.700
• 48937 cubic
Perflorooarbons (RFC's)
7,000-9,200
meter/day
of
Sulphur Hexafluorides (SFs)
23,900
methane
X
one of the worst suffers of Global
0.717 kg/cubic meter 35088 kg of
Warming. The other impacts of global
methane/day = 35.08 metric tons of
warming would be on:
methane per day
• Agriculture
• 35.08 tons of methane/day X 21
• Bio diversity and Forestry
(Global Warming Potential of Methane)
installed. Through CDM therefore an
entrepreneur can
• Opt for a better technology resulting
in cost savings;
• Be able to comply easily with the
Department
of
Environment's
regulations;
• Have a safer and cleaner plant; and
• Contribute to national sustainable
development
and
to
global
environmental protection.
Companies of Annex-B countries
participating in the CDM project will
obtain the CERs to meet their domestic
emission reduction targets in an
economically efficient manner. However,
companies from Annex-B countries that
have no requirement to reduce GHG
emissions may also choose to gain
ownership of CERs through the CDM at
a low price to sell in the international
market at a future date.
A Company or Annex-B country
participating in the CDM project can
finance a project in a developing
country (Non-Annex-B) like Bangladesh
using anyone of the following options:
•
Full
or
Partial Equity
: A company
What is Green House Gas (GHG)
finances all or
Many gases present in the atmosphere are known as green house gases (GHG) because
co-finances
these prevent heat from escaping from the earth . The gases are : carbon dioxide,
part of a CDM
methane, nitrous oxide, hydroflurocarbons, perfluorocarbons and Sulphur hexaflouride. If
project
in
the amount of these gases increase in the atmosphere earth's temperature will increase
return for full or
Scientists have named this phenomenon “Global Warming" and the associated changes to
shared
financial
the atmosphere is known as Climate Change.
returns
and
In the rate of increase of GHGs in the atmosphere can be lessened then the process of
CERs
"global warming" can also be lessened. A variety of measures like switching from coal to
•
Financial
natural gas, using, more efficient devices in industries and commercial units, using
Contribution :
renewable energy, preventing release of methane gas from landfill, etc. are some
A
company
examples of what constitute GHG reduction.
financially
contributes
towards
the
• Human Health
• Drainage
= 737 tons of eCO2 per day or 269005
cost of a CDM project equal to some
• Fisheries
• Fresh water
tons of eCO2 per year
portion of the incremental cost of the
project over and above the baseline
Example of Green House Gas
How CDM Can Help Private
technology, or finances the removal of
Reduction at a Landfill
Sector in Bangladesh
market barriers, in return for the CERs.
Methane generated in landfills is
Developing countries including
" Loan : A company provides loan or
considered to come from decomposition
Bangladesh in the process of achieving
lease at financing at concessional rates
of organic biomass. The collection and
fast economic growth often have to
in return for CERs.
combustion of landfill gas can be
settle for inferior technologies. These
• CER Purchase Agreement : A
considered to reduce green house gas
technologies more often than not
company agrees to buy CERs as they
emissions by 100%. To calculate the
consume more energy than state-ofare produced by the project.
amount of GHG reductions in a landfill:
the-art or advanced technologies. CDM
Source : Booklet on CDM and its Opportunities in
• Meter the Gas Collected and
allows a more energy efficient (or less
Bangladesh. WASTE CONCERN
GHG emitting) technology to be
Combusted
Dew-drops - how bolter wash away world s dust
JcOFILE
43
INITIATIVES SSSSSS
Motorcycle runs for 60 km Tk 8
No smoke no sound
One can go up to 60 km by a scooter
just spending Tk 8. Plus you get a
smokeless travel with hardly any
sound—no pollution. These battery
driven scooters with mind-boggling
colours were exhibited in the
Environment Fair. The scooter has 2
batteries of 12 volts each, which run a
DC motor of 24 volts. With only this, it
will run at a speed of 40 kms per hour.
The sellers in the fair informed that
the
maintenance
cost of this
motorcycle is half than other 2-stroke
motorcycles. There were also solar
power system to use for lights,
televisions and fans for domestic
purpose. It costs Tk 14,000, Tk
16,000, Tk 22,000, Tk 24,000 and Tk
40,000. These environment savvy
items were brought to the fair which
was held at Dhaka. The Minister for
Environment and Forest Shajahan
Siraj inaugurated the fair on 3rd June
at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium.
This Environment Fair was organized
till 5th June on the occasion of
International
Environment
Day
celebration.
More than 50 governmental and
non-governmental organizations and
private companies participated in the
fair.
Among
the
governmental
organizations,
Department
of
Environment, LGED. Department
of Forest,
National
Herbarium,
organizations and business firms also
participated in the environment fair.
Various information regarding water
were on display in the stall of
Unnayan Shamannay The leaflets
regarding environmental laws were
distributed in 'BELA' stall. Apart from
other
issues,
the
information
regarding atmospheric pollution and
monitoring of air quality were
displayed in the Department of
Environment's stall. Data of various
kinds of trees, plants, shrubs and
herbs in our country were displayed in
the National Herbarium stall. Amongst
them, according to the staff of
'Herbarium', there were plants free
from arsenic.
A worker of Rupantarito National
Gas Company informed that the
campaign for the use of CNG as a
substitute to petrol is getting affected
mainly due to the scarcity of CNG
pump station.
Various paper and paper bags for
shopping were displayed in 12 stalls
comprising
members
of
the
organization for manufacturing ecofriendly shopping bags. It was
informed by the jute manufacturing
organizations that the gunny bags can
be used for packaging of salt and
cement and thus increasing the usage
of gunny.
Rupantarito National Gas Company,
Water and climate
and Jute Research
important.
Institute
were
Among the non-governmental
organizations, BRAC, BELA, Forum of
Environmental
Journalists
of
Bangladesh, Centre for Sustainable
Development, Waste Concern, Mass
Literacy Programme, BCAS, BAPA,
ESDO, Girl's Guide Association,
Bangladesh Scout, CNRS. CEGIS,
NGO Forum for water supply and
sanitation and Probartana exhibited
their works. Apart from them the
Environment and Science Association
of Jahangirnagar University, Green
Club, the Earth Club of North South
University
and
various
other
44
3rd June 2003 was the first day of the
programme on the occasion of
International Environment Day. The
subject of the
open discussion
was water and
climate.
The
discussion
was
organized jointly
by
FEJB
and
IUCN
of
Bangladesh. The
chief guest was
the Minister for
Water Resources,
Hafizuddin Ahmed
Bir Bikram. The
' PROFILE I Dew-drops - how better wash away world's dust
main speaker was the country
representative of IUCN, Bangladesh,
Dr Ainun Nishat. The chief editor of
English weekly, 'Holiday', A Z M
Enayetullah Khan and the Joint
Secretary, Ministry of Environment
and Forest, Dr Mahfuzul Haque also
took part in the discussion amongst
others. This meeting organized under
Sustainable
Environment
Management Programme, sponsored
by Ministry of Environment and Forest
and United Nations Development
Programme, was chaired by Quamrul
Islam Chowdhury, the Chairman of
FEJB. Manjur Hasan Khan, Elahi
Newaz Khan and Dr Ferdousi Begum
also participated
in the
open
discussion held at Osmani Memorial
Auditorium.
Water and bio-diversity
On the same day in the afternoon, an
open discussion was organized by
UBINIG and
Dhaka Community
Hospital
at
Osmani
Memorial
Auditorium. The subject of the
discussion was water and bio
diversity. The chief guest was the
State Minister for Agriculture, Mirza
Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. Under the
Charimanship
of
Dr
Kazi
Quamruzzaman, the Chairman of
Dhaka Community Hospital, the main
speaker was Dr Farida Akhter,
Managing Director, UBINIG.
Rights to use of water
With the joint initiative of Bangladesh
Environment Lawyers' Association
(BELA) and Bangladesh Paribesh
Andolon (BAPA), an open discussion
titled, “Rights to use of water" was
organized
at Osmani
Memorial
Auditorium on June 4. The Chairman
INITIATIVES
of the meeting was renowned
economist
Professor Wahiduddin
Mahmud. In the presence of Syeda
Rizwana Hasan, Director of BELA and
Abu Naser Khan, General Secretary
of BAPA, Engineer Masroor-ul-Haque
Siddiqui Bir Uttam, opened the
discussion. His topic was : Rights to
water:
Bangladesh
perspective.
Halima
Niyamat,
the
Assistant
Programme
Officer
of
IUCNBangladesh and Taslima Islam, Senior
Staff
Lawyer,
discussed
about
international and national laws.
Sharmin Murshid, Chief Executive,
'Broti', discussed on "Legal fight
against arsenic pollution". At the end
the problems of using water and the
solution was discussed by Dr M Fazlul
Bari, Professor of Water Resources,
BUET,
Dhaka.
Concluding
the
discussion, Professor Wahiduddin
Mahmud said that highly contrasting
features are there in the field of water
problem in Bangladesh.
RAHELA RABBANI
The slide and photography show
Exhibition on environment
On the occasion of International
Environment Day 2003, Unnayan
Shamannay initiated a programme to
disseminate information regarding
environment among the students.
teachers and the housewives. It
organized 9 slideshows in 5 schools in
Dhaka, sponsored by SEMP. About
one thousand students and teachers
viewed the slide shows. The shows
were also watched by the housewives
in East-Rampura and Paribagh slums.
The slide shows were organized
between 16-18 April.
There was a
photography
exhibition
on
environment,
exhibited in 10
schools in Dhaka
They
were
exhibited between
18 May-1 June.
Seeing
the
photographs
on
environment, the
students and the
teachers
expressed their anxiousness at
deterioration of environment. They also
showed their intent desire in taking
active roll to protect the environment.
-TAHMINA SULTANA
Seminar-Discussion
A discussion was held on the 3rd
International Water Forum in the
National Press Club on 6th April. It
was organized by Media Network for
Sustainable Development. The chief
guest
was
Advocate
Gautam
Chakrabarty, State Minister for Water
Resources.
It was discussed in the meeting
that everybody has a right to
international river system. Every
country has a right to get the water of
these rivers. An understanding is
required at the international level to
resolve the problem of water resurce
sharing. India's unilateral plans will
have a negative affect upon the water
resources of Nepal and Bangladesh.
A seminar on Aerial Spray of
Pesticides was organized by BAPA
and UBINIG on 8th April at the
National Press Club. Sadek Hossain
Dew-drops
Khoka, Mayor, Dhaka City Corporation
was the chief guest. The mayor said
that the 'aerial' spray will be
suspended if found to be affecting
public health.
• A round table conference was held on
housing and other problems of citizens
organized by Bangladesh Consumers
Society on 9th April at CIRDUP
Auditorium. Minister for Food AbdullahAl-Noman was the chief guest. The
speakers said that the ever-growing
pressure of the population created
problems for housing in the Dhaka City
• A seminar on "Census of the aquatic
birds in Bangladesh" was organized by
Bangladesh Bird's Club on 10th April at
the National Press Club. CNRS helped in
organizing this seminar. The speakers
said that the lakes require protection
from pollution for the sake of bio
diversity. Census of the aquatic birds is
mainly a preparation work for preserving
bio-diversity.
• An advisory seminar was held on
“Forest and its related subjects' on 3rd
May at WVA Auditorium. The organizers
were Society for Environment and
Human Development and UBINIG. It was
commented that if we do not stop
deforestation, the agriculture system in
Bangladesh will get collapsed.
• The students of Urban and Regional
Planning. BUET, organized. "Planning
Week 2003” on 7th May. The chief guest
was the Minister for Land, Shamsul
Islam. The speakers said that a
concerted city planning is needed.
• Forum of Environmental Journalists of
Bangladesh (FEJB) and World Water
Forum for Journalists (WWFJ) jointly
organized a briefing session on the CSD11 and implementing of Johannesburg
plan on 25th May at FEJB office. The
discussants said that more investment is
needed to develop water resources.
how bettor wash away world's dust
fCOFlLE
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ARTICLE
ff'.'l'g'/iS:
Evolution of nature : marine life
Rupa Sinha
Earth is probably the most unique
planet in the solar system. Photographs
taken from outer space show that the
basic colour of the earth is blue. About
sevententh of the earth's surface is
covered by ocean.
The depth of the ocean differs
greatly. In places the continental land
masses continue for miles under the
surface, then slopes gradually and
drops sharply into depths. The average
depth of the sea is about 13,000 feet.
The deepest part of the Pacific Ocean is
about six miles. The surface and the
upper level of the ocean are always
moving. There is enough oxygen and
carbon dioxide dissolved in the water to
keep the animals and plants alive.
About two-thirds of the earth's crust is
fishes, worms and molluscs. In places,
particle of manganese lie scattered over
the ocean bed. The oceans contain
large amounts of dissolved salts.
The sea heats and cools more
gradually than the land. Though the
tropical seas are warmer at the surface
than polar oceans, they all help to
regulate earth's weather and climate.
Sea water evaporates and condenses
as fresh water in the atmosphere, falling
again as ram or snow. If it were not for
the oceans, life would be impossible.
Life in the sea is based on floating
plants called phytoplankton. They need
sunlight to develop, so they float a few
hundred feet below the surface. A tiny
animal called zooplankton live on these
plant. Larger sea animals— worms,
shrimps, molluscs and the
like, feed on both forms of
plankton and are themselves
eaten by small species of
fish, which are in turn hunted
by larger fish.
Fish is the main food for
the sea birds as well as
marine-mammals such as
dolphins, seals and whales.
When sea animals die,
food in the sea to help solve the world's
hunger problems. But ocean pollution
which poisons marine plants and
animals is arousing grave concern.
Did you know it?
Alga- (Plural algae)
An alga is a simple plant, which grows
mostly in the water. There are about
25,000 species of alga. They grow in all
parts of the world, especially in the sea,
in lakes and in ponds. Seaweeds are
algae, but many algae are tiny and can
only be seen well with a microscope.
The largest algae of all are kelp, which
are found in shallow seas and can grow
to hundreds of metres long. The algae
appeared very early, as long ago as the
Precambrian period.
Allodesmus
Allodesmus was a marine mammal. It
was related to fur seals. Allodemus lived
in the Miocene Epoch. Like the fur
seals, the male Allodesmus was much
larger than the female. They probably
lived in colonies.
Ammonite
An ammonite is an extinct kind of
mollusc, related to squids and
octopuses. Ammonites first appeared in
the seas about 380 million years ago.
They became extinct about 65 million
years ago. Ammonites had a hard,
chalky, spiral shell. These shells are
preserved in some rocks as fossils.
Amphibious
Amphibious is an animal which lives in
and out of the water. Many prehistoric
animals were amphibious, as well as
the amphibians
themselves. An
amphibious reptile was Nothosaurus.
Aquatic
sea-bed. It does possess mountain
ranges, chasms, volcanoes and the
equivalent of vast sandy deserts.
The abyssal plains are inhabited by
46
gXJFILE
minerals in their decaying bodies serve
to nourish other animals and plants
which are the mainstay of the life cycle.
It is hoped that there may be enough
Dew-drops - how better wash away world’s dust
Aquatic is a plant or animal which lives
in the water. The earliest forms of
animal life were aquatic. Aquatic
animals and plants began to evolve into
land-living forms in the Devonian and
carboniferous periods.
ARTICLE
GEOMETREE SI™.
Welcome to a mathematical language of
the clouds, mountains and rivers
Have you ever looked at all the perfect
geometric shapes in your textbook and
wondered to your self, "Hey, I've hardly
seen such perfect shapes in nature.
Isn't there some geometry that
describes them?"
Someone did. Benoit Mandelbrot, a
French mathematician, made the
famous observation, ''Most of nature is
very, very complicated. How could one
describe a cloud? A cloud is not a
sphere... It is like a ball but very
irregular. A mountain? A mountain is not
a cone... If you want to speak of clouds,
of mountains, or rivers, of lightning, the
geometric language of school is
inadequate."
So what did he do? He went ahead
and created a brand new science called
fractal geometry. Trees, clouds, river
deltas and the coastlines-they all can
be explained by it. A fractal is a complex
geometric object whose component
parts seen from up close resemble the
entire structure from far away, meaning
it is "self-similar".
Today, fractals help classify and
analyse order in natural phenomena,
such as the branching of blood vessels,
the turbulence in fluids, and the
distribution of galaxies in space.
Mandelbrot himself says that fractal
geometry deals with an aspect of nature
that almost everybody had been aware
but nobody was able to describe in
formal mathematical terms.
Fractal comes from the Latin fractus,
meaning broken apart and it was
explained in detail by Mandelbrot's
brilliant book The Fractal Geometry of
Nature in 1975.
Here's a fractal teaser. How long is
a coast? There is no clear answer if
you use this new science. Mandelbrot
showed that, since the measured
length of a coast can be extended
indefinitely by going into smaller and
smaller scales, there is no clear-cut
answer to the question. But he defined
a number between 1 and 2 that
The compexity of fractal shapes corresponds very
well with our experience of nature
characterized the jaggedness of the
coast, where 1 is the space taken up
by a straight line and 2 is the space
taken up by a plane. A jagged line will
take up a number in between. This
means smoother the line, the more
close to 1 it'll be. More jagged the line,
the more close to 2 it'll be. He found
this figure to be 1.58 for the British
coastline and 1 7 for the much rougher
Norwegian coast
The concept of a fractal dimension,
which was at first a purely mathematical
idea, has become a very powerful tool
for analyzing the complexity of fractal
shapes, because it corresponds very
well with our experience of nature.
In so doing Mandelbrot has in a way
gone beyond Albert Einstein (who said
that time was the fourth dimension) to
discover that his fourth dimension
includes not only the first three
dimensions, but also the gaps or
intervals between them, the fractal
dimensions. The geometry of the fourth
dimension-fractal geometry-is now
recognized as the true Geometry of
Nature.
Former American Vice President Al
Gore has found fractals useful in the
way he views the world. He once said.
"The ideas in the fractals, both as a
body of knowledge and as a metaphor
are an incredibly important way of
looking at the world... it often allows us
to look at social and political matters
and find ways to connect the dots that
haven't made sense before."
Dc-w-drops - how better wash away world's dust
£COFILE
47
!*UC5>
books
WILL BARISAL AND KHULNA BECOME SEA-GIRT?
JESSORE AND FARIDPURTURN INTO COASTS?
Rise in the sea level will engulf
several parts of Bangladesh. Barisal
and Khulna will become sea-girt, and
the coastline of Bay of Bengal will
reach as far as Jessore. Faridpur and
Chandpur. The low lying areas of
Faridpur will turn into sea. In fact, the
southern part of Dhaka, Comilla and
the quagmires of Sylhet-SunamganjKishorganj
Netrokona will
be
submerged too.
Dr. Sahidullah Mridha shares the
above
facts
in
his
book
'SAMUDRAVIGYAN' (OCEANOLOGY).
The book is printed in 3 volumes under
the main title 'BANGAPOSAGAR' (The
Bay of Bengal) and has been published
by Bangla Academy.
The author says in his first volume
that though Bay of Bengal is termed as
a bay of gulf according to geographical
connotation, it is one of the largest
oceans in the world. The reason
being— as the author describes— the
Bay of Bengal is the "largest
sedimentary fill geosyseline. Compared
to any of the existing ones, this sub
aerial delta (Bengal Deep Sea Fen) is
the largest and the deepest of all. As a
matter of fact, the Bay of Bengal can
engulf the whole of 'La-Zola' the
Californian sub aerial delta in her
unfathomable fen."
We get to know from the book, that
the total spread of Bay of Bengal is
8,49,425 sq miles or 21,72,000 sq kms.
According
to
the
statistics
of
International Marine Line Science
Bureau, the Bay of Bengal is spread out
till the tip of Daudra in Srilanka and the
northern part of the Sumatra Island. It is
unrestrained till the middle of Indian
Ocean. The width will be around 1000
miles or 2,560 kms and the depth at an
average is more than 2,600 feet. The
deepest part measures to 14,764 feet
or 2.75 miles.
The book contains more facts like
this. The 1st volume of this book has 5
sections / chapters and 2 appendices.
The volume consists features relating to
elementary oceanology. The second
volume informs us about life and the
under water resources. The 3rd volume
deals with the historical evidence of
48
gfOFILE
sociology. The 3rd volume with 10
sections in it highlights the involvement
of the sea in mythology, politics,
literature, marine rules and rights.
Regarding the metamorphosis of the
Bay of Bengal, volume one says that it
started some 20 (twenty) crore years
back when Gondwanaland started
eroding. Himalaya was formed in the
'Eocene' period (55 million years back).
Tibet from the southern pacific side
collided with the Indian plate. At that
point of time, except the elevated land of
Rangpur, more or less, the entire part of
present Bangladesh was under the sea.
There were two bays in Bangladesh__
namely Sylhet Bay and Bogra Bay.
Dew-drops - how better wash away world's dust
Later, the areas like Barendra,
Madhupur and Lalmai came into
existence and were included to the
geological area of Bangladesh. During
the Oligocene period (38 million years
ago), due to the movement in the earth's
surface, the sea moved away far south
from Assam and its adjoining areas
Again during the beginning of the
Miocene period (24.5 million years ago),
the ocean gulped the entire of
Bangladesh barring the 'Rangpur slope'.
The river Brahamaputra got herself
linked to the Bay of Bengal around this
Miocene period. It is said that after the
creek of Garo Rajmahal was formed, the
Brahmaputra rushed towards the Bay of
Bengal depositing huge quantity of
sediments. Most of the flow was from
the west to south and south east. As per
the geological evidence, it may be
assumed that once the entire east
starting from Rajmahal Hills till Shillong
Valley in the north was completely
surrounded
by the ocean. The
Bangladesh, as we see today, was full of
rivers from the Pleistocene period (2
million years ago). The history of
geology says that the Bay of Bengal
often extended towards north and again
receded to the south.
In the 3rd volume, many verses, where
ocean is referred to are quoted from the
Holy Quran. Regarding the sea it ■
in the Holy Quran, "The ocean is kept
under Allah's control, so that you can
get fresh fishes to eat can get
treasures like gems and corals, with
which you can beautify yourself. You
watch and also sail on the sea. For
these you must be grateful and also
feel the grace.'1 [SURA NAHAL AYAT
(16:14).] This particular book by Sahidullah
Mridha is very much attributive and alluring
with facts, statistics, maps, illustrations and
photographs These not only make reading
interesting, but help to make it much easy
for the readers to understand.
BANGAPOSAGAR : SAMUDRAVIGYAN
(THE
BAY
OF
BENGAL
OCEANOGRAPHY)
BANGAPOSAGAR
MANUSH
O
SAMUDRA (THE BAY OF BENGAL : MAN
AND OCEAN), Shaidullah Mridha, Bangla
Academy, Dhaka.
iT'fLEi WHB OPLLKEi
One of the basic principles of ecology is
interdependence. All members of an ecological
community are interconnected in a vast and intricate
network of relationships, the web of life. They derive
their essential properties and, in fact, their very
existence from their relationships to other things.
Interdependence - the mutual dependence of
all life processes on one another - is the nature
i
of all ecological relationships. The behaviour of
I
every living member of the ecosystem depends 1
on the behaviour of many others. The success of
the whole community depends on the success
of its individual members, while the success of
each member depends on the success of
the community as a whole.
There is no waste in nature
• Partnership
• Networks
At all scales of nature, we find living systems
nesting within other living systems - networks
within networks. Their boundaries are not
boundaries of seperation but boundaries of
identity. All living systems communicate with
one another and share resources across
boundaries.
• Cycles
All living organisms must feed on continual flows
of matter and energy from their environment to
stay alive, and all living organisms continually
produce waste. However, an ecosystem
generates no net waste, one species' waste is
another species' food. Thus matter cycles
continually through the web of life.
• Solar Energy
Solar energy, transformed into chemical
energy by the photosynthesis of green plan
drives the ecological cycles.
The exchanges of energy and resources in an
ecosystem are sustained by pervasive co
operation. Life did not take over the planet by
competition but by co-operation, partnership,
and networking.
• Diversity
Ecosystems achieve stability and resilience
through the richness and complexity of their
ecological webs. The greater their biodiversity,
the more resilient they will be.
©Dynamic Balance
A ecosystem is a flexible, ever-fluctuating
network. Its flexibility is a consequence of
multiple feedback loops that keep the system in
a state of dynamic balance. No single variable
is maximized; all variables fluctuate around their
optimal values.
Illegally cut row of garan trees
are disappearing from
the Sunderbans.
Are we going to continue
stripping off our forests ?
Published by Unnayan Shamannay under Sustainable Environment
supported by Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) and United Natrons
Management Programme (SEMP)
Development Programme (UNDP)
o © £3
IMI
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