Sundarbans must be saved from plastic pollution

A veritable natural green wall, what environmentalists call ‘natural shell,’ is sheltering the coastal belt settlements of Bangladesh from the cyclones and storm surges. This natural shell, the Sundarbans, is now facing threats to its sustenance and growth. Plastic pollution caused by irresponsible tourist behaviour is wreaking havoc on the Sundarbans’ ecosystems as tonnes of plastic waste end up in rivers surrounding the world’s largest mangrove every day, say scientists.

Amid concerns they said the plastic pollution is harming marine life in the Sundarbans and at least 17 species of fish and three species of shellfish are being rapidly wiped out from three rivers flowing through the Sundarbans as the rivers are being contaminated with microplastics. Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic that, once swallowed by fish, can end up in the human food chain as well. The Sundarbans, according to scientists, is home to over 300 species of fish. Thus, single-use plastic covering 6,500 square kilometres (2,500 square miles) of the forest must be stopped immediately in the entire coastal areas adjacent to the Sundarbans.

Reportedly, about 25,000 registered fishing boats harvest fish from the Sundarbans and the adjacent bay, with the annual catch from its water bodies estimated to be 3,000 tonnes of fishes and 18,150 tonnes of crustaceans. It’s daunting to think how this huge pile, as well as those from other parts of the country, is impacting the health of consumers. Despite a 2020 court directive to the Department of Environment to stop use of single-use plastic in coastal areas by 2022, according to media reports, not only the department has failed to stop it, it has even failed to make any sort of progress in this regard. The lack of political will is largely to blame for that.

We ask that the authorities concerned must take immediate steps in stopping the use of plastics. As well, they must increase supervision, raise awareness and undertake more research on microplastics. They must hold to account those in charge of stopping river pollution. Besides, awareness must be heightened at all levels to arrive at a national consensus to save the largest mangrove, the Sundarbans and the rivers flowing through it.