Environmental threats in Chittagong

Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque :
Chittagong is a major coastal sea port city and financial center of southeastern Bangladesh. Its rich natural infrastructures with sea, river Karnafuli, hills and hillocks attract the tourists. “The natural harbor of Chittagong has been a gateway to the historic region of Bengal for centuries.. The port was the terminus of many historic trade routes, including the Grand Trunk Road, the Tea Horse Road and the Assam Bengal Railway. During the Burma Campaign in World War II, the city was also a key base for Allied Forces. Rapid industrialization followed the war. Becoming a part of East Pakistan in 1947, the city was the site of the Bangladesh’s Declaration of Independence during the 1971 Liberation War”(wwwwikipedia).
I have been in Chittagong since 1982(more than thirty years). Even I passed childhood in the city (from 1955-1959). What really was fascinating was its magnificent scenic beauty. The city life was easy and comfortable with open space enabling the pedestrians to move freely.
‘A human being needs lungs to breathe.’ The open spaces in the city like Chittagong with ‘trees and parks were its ‘lungs’ I enjoyed free breathing in fresh air blowing from Patenga — a beautiful and clean sea beach at that time. There was plenty of pure drinking water. In fact it was a healthy city.
Even when I was beginning to settle in Chittagong in 1982 in connection with job the natural beauty of the port city did not fade. Chittagong has by now become simply unlivable with a large number of population. Chittagong represents a prototype of commercialized urbanization with mechanical revolution in communication, ICT for illustration and strikingly dynamic trends in mobility pattern. At times it is swamped with environmental hazards reflected in conflicting variables-‘converging forces of population,’ technology and a ‘complex eco-system’.
All development management with input needs like water, gas power and energy including the environmental attributes of land-use, drainage, solid and liquid wastes, air and adjoining sub-urbs, has turned out to become counterproductive increasing stress on environment.
Developmental trends at the city point emphasizing environmental modifications are rather non-ecological. Man-environment interface in Chittagong in the wake of misdirected urban development that seriously impairs ecology has become a matter of concern to the urban planners.
‘The city is dangerously lacking in the amount of deliberate action necessary to maintain a reasonably acceptable environment.’
High frequency of environment degradation caused by oil tanker accidents and man made crisis like hill leveling and mushrooming of illegal structures gravely concern the city planners. The derailment accident on June 9, 2014, took place as the train’s loco master had violated signals. Oil spills have a long-term negative impact on the environment. “In case of any large-scale oil spill, the overall aquatic biodiversity will be at a severe risk. Since furnace oil is not water soluble, the amount of oxygen in the water will decrease drastically when oil forms a layer over the water and prevents the sunlight to pass through. Being deprived of sunlight, it will be very difficult for the aquatic creatures, including fishes, zooplankton and phytoplankton; to survive.” There was a fear that any spill of furnace oil could have an adverse impact on biodiversity, as well as creating a massive and prolonged impact on cultivable lands. A green activist also said that any large-scale spill would have an adverse impact on the biodiversity of canals and rivers.
Environmental degradation stems from rural-urban migration from villages and small market towns with rural characteristics to the metropolitan urban centers full of development activities.
All such development activities centering on urbanization come in disharmony with ecological factors leading to ‘gradual degradation of life-support systems including air, water and land’. Enormous population pressure in the core of the city and in the downtowns aggravates situation.
Since a couple decades urbanization has assumed ‘greater significance’ influencing ‘growth, distribution, density and structure of population.’ Even then there is no proper system of waste disposal. There is a generation of ‘organic pollution hazard’.
The garbage spreads everywhere in the form of heaps all over the filthy city points. Now there are dumping grounds in outer loosely built up communities. Well maintained garbage disposal system is lacking.
The city corporations in statistical metropolitan areas are collecting garbage through its scanty resources and manpower. The garbage collected from the residents and offices through van is disposed on the dumping ground.
In many city-points some amount of solid waste is discharged into the drains or canals causing a great deal of water pollution. The waste from kitchen throwing out of window is emptied into the river through rain water.
Garbage disposal requires responsible urban governance which is supposed to give immediate action. Haphazard garbage disposal may cause hazardous diseases.
The curse of the city is Chaktai Khal. It causes flooding during rainy season. ‘Desilting of Chaktai Khal is considered to be ‘a panacea for solving drainage problem in the city. Most canals including Chaktai, are now filled by human habitations and commercial buildings. For this reasons water logging stands out to be a menacing set backs. choked canals considerably have vitiated city environment with lots of garbage. Polyphones and solid wastes are dumped in the canals and drains causing blockage in the flow of water.
It may be argued that the city mayor can hardly redeem the promises of change. We cannot expect much from the elected mayor. This is because this city body is not sufficiently empowered to fulfill mss expectations for a change.
Its financial strength is limited with a poor taxation base. The image of city government is not reflected in position of City Corporation. So, the promise of doing the things with a long list of priorities is mere political gimmick to conjure up votes.
From common feelings and general mass reactions against fuzzy urban governance it seems that they consider pledges, harangue, tall talks about change as catch phrases and common tactics employed in political game. A well informed voter commented ‘voting forced upon the silent masses helps the dominant groups to acquire legitimacy for wrong doing and wanton corruption. The post election scenario is one of frustration, increasing apathy and disenchantment’.
Among the issues highlighted by the planned Chittagong forum and Mayoral candidates included price hike, terrorism, and negligence of the port city holding tax, licensed rate for cycle rickshaw, water logging, landslide and environmental degradation.
Landslide is a case in point. Some city points are noted with gowth of squatter settlements with dirty slums near hill.
Rainy season is frequented by devastation like landslide claiming the lives of the slum dwellers. The disaster in Chittagong in June 2007 was an eye opener. It was termed as Chittagong tragedy. 2007 catastrophe, the worst in recent memory, claimed more than 120 lives injuring hundreds of others. Environment experts warned about the impending danger if wanton destruction of forests and leveling of hills were not stopped.  
 Now city authorities think to abolish all slums that have become great risks for the poor to live. Even then the poor would like to live in hill-side slums at their own peril. Heavy downpour in 2015 rainy season in the month of July concerns the city authorities. Already hillside houses have been in the process of destruction with the slum residents moving to safe areas for living.

(Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque, Professor of Public Administration, Chittagong University)