Bangladesh’s most popular tourist city, Cox's Bazar, is under severe environmental threat due to plastic waste, experts have said.
Some 124 tons of waste, including plastic, are being removed from Cox's Bazar city on a daily basis.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Department of Environment jointly organized a workshop on controlling plastic pollution to protect marine life and the environment of Cox’s Bazar.
Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md Mamunur Rashid presided over the event, while Dr Farhina Ahmed, secretary to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change was the chief guest.
For Bangladesh's rivers and oceans to remain pollution-free, experts have stressed the importance of reducing the use of single-use plastic.
Additionally, environmentalists advocated the use of jute packets rather than plastic.
Dr Farhina Ahmed said: "We need to prevent plastic pollution from spoiling the ocean water. If citizens change themselves, society and the country will follow.”
She later quoted Article 18A of the Constitution of Bangladesh (Fifteenth Amendment): “The State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to preserve and safeguard the natural resources, bio-diversity, wetlands, forests and wild life for the present and future citizens.”
Hence, it is the responsibility of the concerned ministries to carry out the task, she added.
Dhaka TribuneBesides, Director General of the Department of Environment Dr Abdul Hamid said: “Authorities have taken action against all factories that use, produce, and sell single-use plastic, polythene or plastic bags in view with the order by High Court in one year.”
Additional Director General of the department Kazi Abu Taher said: "Cox's Bazar is in grave danger due to plastic waste. The toxic chemicals can harm human bodies. Therefore, locals need to be aware of plastic waste”.
Meanwhile, World Bank Environmental Specialist Bushra Nishat said: "78% of plastic waste is being dumped at Labani Point of Cox's Bazar beach every day. To prevent this from happening, young people, experts from the government, and the private sector play an important role in reducing plastic pollution in coastal areas.
Three in four people worldwide want single-use plastics to be banned as soon as possible, according to a poll released recently.
The percentage of people calling for bans is up from 71% since 2019, while those who said they favoured products with less plastic packaging rose to 82% from 75%, according to the IPSOS poll of more than 20,000 people across 28 countries, reports Reuters.