Cox’s Bazar, with 120 kilometres of sandy beach, used to be the pride of Bangladesh, and our biggest tourist draw, but now it is on the verge of environmental disaster.
Why have we treated this magnificent piece of nature with such reckless disregard, dumping garbage throughout the area, and polluting the seaside air?
In recent years, Bangladesh has understood the need to make the country more attractive to tourists, but, along with building more tourist infrastructure like world-class hotels, comes the serious responsibility of taking care of the environment.
Right now, the scenario in Cox’s Bazaar is nothing short of dire, with mountains of rubbish being found in top tourist spots like Kobita Chattar, Laboni, Shaibal, Seagull, Sea Inn, and Kolatoli -- this rubbish is subsequently burned, thus polluting the air to the extent that tourists and locals find it hard to breathe.
Furthermore, unsanitary toilets can be found throughout Cox’s Bazar in the slum areas, causing the stench of sewage along with the burning rubbish to spread throughout the area.
It is no secret that all of Bangladesh has a pollution problem, with the capital city having some of the worst quality of air in the whole world, but it is a terrible shame that this problem has extended to a place known for its pristine beauty and clean air.
We need to do a better job of protecting the environment in Cox’s Bazar, and this starts with cleaning up the rubbish on the beach, and strictly banning the wanton dumping of garbage in the beach area.
For if we fail to first protect the environment of one of the most beautiful parts of Bangladesh, the rest of the country does not stand a chance.
