February 26 marks the start of an event that will significantly improve the health and environment of the people of Chittagong, of Bangladesh, and even of people and places on the other side of the world.
Behind the walls of a discrete compound in Agrabad, Chittagong, is what is probably the world’s biggest stockpile of DDT -- a Persistent Organic Pollutant or POP. That means it is a toxic, persistent, bio-accumulative and highly mobile chemical that is banned for use in Bangladesh and in most countries of the world.
The DDT stored here was imported 37 years ago to control malaria-carrying mosquitos, and while DDT has been very effective at reducing malaria transmission, it has also had many negative impacts on people’s health and on the environment.
DDT negatively affects fertility and reproductive processes, it is a probable carcinogen and disrupts hormonal systems, and its persistence in the environment and in our bodies means that the more people are exposed to it, the higher the concentration in their bodies and the more likely it is that it will damage their health.
POPs, like DDT, were mostly used in tropical and hotter countries where they tended to evaporate and move through the atmosphere to condense and concentrate in colder regions like Canada and northern Russia. So this is not just a local problem for Chittagong – it is a global problem that we are helping to solve.
This is the reason that the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants was negotiated through the United Nations in 2001. Bangladesh is a member of the Stockholm Convention and has therefore been granted support to solve this problem from the Global Environment Facility which finances that convention. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), along with the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, is facilitating the project that will remove the DDT and also support other measures to reduce risks from pesticides in Bangladesh.
Legacy stockpiles of obsolete pesticides such as that in Chittagong can be removed, but pesticides continue to be used. They enter the environment, food, and the bodies of farmers and sometimes even consumers. This is even more of a challenge.
The Chittagong Division is famous for its dry fish which is consumed locally and exported. During the drying process, some producers apply pesticides to the fish to keep damaging insects away, and those pesticides leave residues that could make the fish unsafe to eat.
The Department of Fisheries will be teaching fish dryers new methods that do not use pesticides and produce safer fish for local and international consumption.
Chemical pesticides are overused globally, and many of the products used commonly in Bangladesh can be toxic to people and to animals such as bees, birds and reptiles. They also pollute soil and water.
Food exports that contain excessive pesticide residues are routinely rejected by importers with the cost of the destroyed food being met by the exporter. The only truly effective solution to this problem is to reduce the use of chemical pesticides. Astonishingly, research is showing that not using pesticides actually saves money for farmers and does not reduce agricultural yields. Not only this, but going pesticide-free results in safer food and fewer health problems in farming communities.
Working with nature to produce healthier crops with agroecology, integrated pest management, and biopesticides, all of which are well developed and widely available in Bangladesh, is the way forward.
DDT is no longer used for malaria control in Bangladesh because there are better, safer, and more sustainable methods recommended by WHO. Today, long-lasting, insecticide-impregnated bed nets (LLINs) are recommended, along with Integrated Vector Management strategies that promote better monitoring of mosquito breeding sites, biopesticides and low toxicity insecticides where needed. FAO is working with the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to promote these techniques.
Investment in growth that cares for the environment, people’s health, and social wellbeing is investment that delivers higher returns in the long term. FAO, along with development partners and other UN agencies, is working with countries to ensure that the SDGs are integrated into national development plans and strategies across the world. Bangladesh faces many challenges but the country is demonstrating that growth with sustainability.
Convention on Biodiversity is calling for a two-thirds reduction in pesticide use globally by 2030, to save biodiversity that is essential for agriculture and for our wellbeing. WHO advocates for the removal of highly hazardous pesticides that cause harm to women and children in particular and to all people who are exposed to them. The United Nations Environment Program encourages countries to reduce the use of harmful chemicals and to count the full cost of using these chemicals which includes damage to health, the environment, and trade opportunities.
Pesticides such as DDT were once hailed as the saviours of agriculture. Accumulated knowledge is showing that pesticides may be causing more harm than good. Bangladesh is on an upward development trajectory but this development can and must be made more sustainable. Reducing reliance on chemical pesticides is an important part of making agricultural development sustainable and should be embraced.
Mark Davis is International Advisor, FAO Pesticide Risk Reduction project.