Conference2000

Bangladesh Environment Network

A Comprehensive Conference on Bangladesh’s Environment

Towards a Broad-Based Environment Movement in Bangladesh

[Environmentally conscious Bangladeshis, both inside and outside Bangladesh, are preparing for a conference on Bangladesh environment to be held in mid January 2000 in Dhaka. By the latest report, more than a hundred organizations inside Bangladesh have already rallied behind this conference. Their efforts are coordinated by POROSH, the leading civic environmental organization in Bangladesh. Outside Bangladesh, the efforts of non-resident Bangladeshis and members of international community are being coordinated by Bangladesh Environment Network (BEN), a network that was initiated by non-resident Bangladeshis in the US and now includes members from all around the world. There are two main purposes of this conference. The first is to bring different sections of Bangladeshi society together and to initiate a broad-based movement to protect Bangladesh’s environment. The second purpose is to hold a comprehensive discussion of the major environmental problems of Bangladesh under a common umbrella so that interconnections among these problems can be better understood, and an integrated approach to protecting Bangladesh’s environment can be worked out. The following is the proposal for this conference, which describes the background, the aims and objectives, and the format of the conference. All environmentally conscious Bangladeshis are encouraged to join the environment movement and to participate in the work of the conference.]

I. Alarming Degradation of Bangladesh’s Environment

Bangladesh’s environment has undergone alarming degradation. There are many dimensions of this degradation. A few examples are as follows:

Air Pollution: Urban air pollution has reached alarming level. The lead content of Dhaka city’s air is at places reported to be more than one hundred times of the UN recommended safe level. Dhaka has become a gas chamber for slow poisoning. This poisonous air is destroying the body and brain of Bangladesh’s citizens, particularly of the children, the future generation.
Arsenic Contamination of Ground Water: Bangladesh has now become the center of international concern because of her arsenic problem. Increased use of groundwater aquifers and their non-adequate replenishment has caused the ground water level to go down. This and other factors have now caused a very serious problem of arsenic contamination of ground water in most of the districts of Bangladesh. People in the rural areas are already dying each day because of arsenic poisoning. It is believed that when the cumulative effect of slow poisoning will pass the critical level, Bangladesh will face a calamity of enormous proportions.
Aggravation of Floods and Dying Rivers: Floods are becoming more frequent and more serious. The cordon approach that Bangladesh has followed so far is not proving effective in dealing with country’s flood problem. Instead, this approach is leading to neglect of the rivers, and as a consequence the rivers are dying. The cordon approach is also creating new problems of water-logging, increased flood depth, slow pace of flood water recession and the accompanying problems of health, sanitation, and environment.
Loss of Wetlands: More and more surface water bodies are being lost, both in the cities and in the rural areas. Part of it is driven by population pressure and need for settlement areas. The rest is because of bad policies. Loss of wetlands is causing temperature imbalance and general ecological deterioration. It is also aggravating flood.
Chemical Runoff to Surface Water Bodies: Indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizer and pesticide is resulting in chemical runoff to the surface water bodies. This is causing serious damage to country’s fresh water fish stock.
Industrial and Medical Waste: Industrial enterprises are often discharging their toxic and other harmful solid and fluid waste in untreated form into neighboring areas and water bodies. Similarly, hospitals and clinics are often disposing indiscriminately their harmful clinical waste.
Household Waste: In urban areas, disposal of household waste has become a serious problem. This problem has been aggravated by indiscriminate and increasing use of plastic materials.
Deforestation: Most of the shalbons have now become extinct. Sundarbans are under threat. Bangladesh has gone well below the requirement of at least 25 percent of land to be under forest.
Loss of Bio-diversity: With loss of wetlands and forests, Bangladesh is increasing losing its flora and fauna. Many of the species are becoming rare; some have already become extinct. This will make Bangladesh geographically an uninteresting part of the world.

Urgent steps are necessary to stop this process of degradation and to repair the damage. If these steps are not taken, Bangladesh may become a land of environmental disasters. In face of this grave danger, what has been Bangladesh's response as a nation so far?

II. Response So Far

Government: Traditionally environment was not high on the agenda of the government of Bangladesh. Until recently, Bangladesh did not have a separate ministry for environment. There was only a small Department of Environment and Pollution Control (DEPC) located within the Ministry of Local Affairs, and it had little authority and manpower. Currently there is the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to formulate policies regarding environment. The Department of Environment (DoE) is in charge of implementing these policies. There are a number of donor-funded environmental projects that are now being implemented under these agencies. However, experience shows that it is difficult for the MoEF to be effective unless the Prime Minister herself takes interest in environmental issues. It is necessary to ensure that environmental problems reach the attention of the Prime Minister and that the entire cabinet becomes more committed to environmental issues.

Non-Government Organizations (NGOs): Like in many other areas of developmental activity in present day Bangladesh, NGOs are playing a prominent role in the arena of environmental studies and protection. Environment related NGOs in Bangladesh have formed a coalition, namely Coalition of Environmental NGOs (CEN). NGOs have collaborated with the Government in formulating National Environment Management Action Plan (NEMAP). Many of them are engaged with the government in adoption and implementation of various environmental projects, such as the Sustainable Environment Management Project (SEMP).

Civil Society: Some sections of the civil society are becoming active regarding environmental issues. The recent initiatives regarding Osmany Uddyan bear testimony to that. However, the full potential of the civil society in protecting Bangladesh’s environment still remains to be fully realized.

Political parties of Bangladesh can show more concern for environmental issues.

Professional associations, including the medical profession, can take up environmental issues more seriously in their agenda.

Student organizations are expected to voice the interests of the future generation of the country, and it is the future generations, which are at most risk because of environmental degradation. Hence the student movement in Bangladesh should take up environmental issues more earnestly.

Educational establishments, including teachers’ organizations and academic community, can play a very significant role in protection of Bangladesh’s environment.

Trade unions and other labor organizations should be more concerned about the environmental problems, because working masses are often more directly affected by pollution.

Literary and cultural organizations, which represent the most perceptive and sensitive sections of the society, have a potential prominent role in the fight for clean and aesthetically satisfying environment in Bangladesh.

Positive Signs: There are signs that with time awareness regarding environmental issues is growing, and segments of the civil society are coming forward with initiatives. For example, newspapers in Bangladesh are giving more coverage to environmental problems. Particular mention may be made in this regard of such dailies as The Daily Star, Sangbad, Prothom Alo, Vorer Kagoj, etc. Citizens’ voluntary environment organizations have also emerged. Poribesh Rokkha Shopoth, POROSH is a civic voluntary organization that has been formed to protect environment. Outside Bangladesh, Bangladesh Environment Network (BEN) has been formed to organize efforts of non-resident Bangladeshis to help protect Bangladesh’s environment. However, the magnitude of environmental problems in Bangladesh is outpacing the mitigating influence of these initiatives and efforts. It is therefore necessary to raise the environment protection efforts in Bangladesh to a new level.

III. Necessity of a Strong, Broad Based Environment Movement

For a long time, Bangladesh had a primarily traditional, pre-industrial economy. Despite their low productivity, an important virtue of traditional methods of production is that these are less polluting and more environmentally sustainable. To achieve higher productivity and growth, Bangladesh is now striving toward industrialization. But industrialization has the potentiality of being environmentally damaging. The early industrializing countries (EIC), now in their post-industrial phase, are currently trying to repair the damage done to their environment by industrialization. Experience of the newly industrializing countries (NIC) has also demonstrated the polluting potential of industrialization. Hence, as Bangladesh proceeds towards industrialization, she needs to be careful about the environmental impact of industrialization. There are several reasons why Bangladesh needs to be extra-careful in this regard. The following are just a few of them.

(a) Fragile nature of Bangladesh’s ecology: Bangladesh is primarily a delta. The entire country is connected through river system and underground aquifers. For a considerable part of the year the land remains wet. This physical and ecological setting make it very easy for pollution to spread in Bangladesh. The flora and fauna of the country are of delicate variety. It is therefore very easy to damage and destroy Bangladesh’s ecological balance.

(b) Extreme Density of Population: Bangladesh has the highest density of population among all countries of the world, except some small and city states. Bangladesh’s population density is already fifty times higher than that of the US. It is six times higher than that of even China. Because of this extremely high density, any environmental contagion in Bangladesh is sure to spread very fast and affect millions of people. High density implies that Bangladesh has very little open physical space and empty terrain to cushion the country against environmental shocks. The high and increasing density itself is a likely cause of environmental deterioration. Because of this very different population density, it is not environmentally sustainable for Bangladesh to imitate the consumption and lifestyle that has emerged in the sparsely populated North American countries.

(c) Importance of Foreign Capital: In its effort to industrialize, Bangladesh is relying greatly on foreign capital. Foreign companies do not usually have long-term stake in Bangladesh’s well being. They are more likely to be guided by immediate profit concerns. This is likely to lead to many environmentally risky and damaging decisions by foreign companies. The recent Magurchara incident perpetrated by the Occidental company testifies to this possibility. As Bangladesh prepares to set up export processing zones all around the country and to lease out more of her inland and offshore territories to foreign companies for exploration and operation, potential risk to Bangladesh’s environment is likely to increase.

(d) Poverty and Illiteracy of the Masses: The general situation of poverty and illiteracy of the masses make Bangladesh very vulnerable to environmental damage. The general populace of Bangladesh is too busy trying to meet their basic material needs. They therefore have little scope to be concerned about environmental amenities. The illiteracy only aggravates this problem, because it acts as a barrier for them even to understand the damaging impact on their own health and mind of the environmental degradation that is occurring right around them. With no or very little possibility of popular protest, perpetrators of pollution virtually have an open field. The way TSEVs prospered in Bangladesh for such a long time, despite their obvious deadly effects, bears clear testimony to this situation.

All these factors point to the following two facts:

Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable to environmental damage.
The only way Bangladesh can save herself from environmental disasters is by having a strong, broad-based, and united environment movement.

The question is how to build such a movement?

IV A Different Kind of Conference

Objectives of the Conference:

Two things are necessary to build a broad-based environment movement in Bangladesh. These are:

To bring together the forces that are already working to prevent environmental degradation in Bangladesh

To draw new and more sections of Bangladesh’s society to the cause of environment.

Holding a comprehensive conference on Bangladesh’s environment will greatly help achieve these objectives. More specifically, the goals of the conference are:

To bring together all the resident Bangladeshis (RB) who are working for Bangladesh’s environment.
To bring Non Resident Bangladeshis (NRB) who are working for Bangladesh’s environment together with their RB compatriots.
To bring the environment specialists together with the environmental activists and general people.
To bring international pro-environment forces together with Bangladesh’s pro-environment forces.

Some explanation of the goals may be in order:

Goal (a): In the light of earlier discussion, this goal is self-explanatory and does not need further elaboration.

Goal (b): This arises from the fact that there now exists a Diaspora Bangladesh, which is significant in terms of both number and potential. The technological revolution in the field of communication, embodied most recently in the Internet, has made it feasible for NRBs to be integrated into the life in Bangladesh. RBs and NRBs can now combine their energies in overcoming many different problems of Bangladesh. RB-NRB cooperation in the area of environment protection can set into motion a general process of RB-NRB cooperation. Bangladesh can surely benefit from such cooperation.

Goal (c): Solution of environmental problems has two dimensions. One is finding the technical solution to the problem. The second is adoption of the technical solution as a policy and effective implementation of that policy. The TSEV problem illustrates a situation where technical solutions are more or less known. Yet it is proving difficult to have these solutions adopted because of lack of popular movement to back up the demand for these solutions. On the other hand, Bangladesh’s arsenic problem illustrates a case where technical solutions are less unambiguous, and there is a great necessity of appropriate technical input. Successful environmental campaign requires contribution and participation of both experts on the one hand and activists and general people on the other.

Bangladesh is no stranger to conferences. Technical and academic conferences are held in Bangladesh almost every other day; many of these actually and somewhat ironically are held on environmental problems. Scores of technical reports are prepared and presented in these conferences. Unfortunately, impact of these conferences often remains limited to the confines of posh hotels where these are organized and vanish almost as soon as the conferences are over. Thus, in order for the proposed conference to be successful in actually hitting Bangladesh’s environmental problems and be of enduring impact, it has to go beyond the confines of technical discussion and bring the experts and people together. The right technical solutions have to be backed by strong popular support.

Goal (d): This is necessary for two reasons. First, as noticed earlier, foreign companies are likely to play a major role in Bangladesh’s industrialization process. Because of laxity of environmental laws and their enforcement, these companies can often adopt a cavalier attitude with regard to environment protection in Third World countries. However, if we can enlist active cooperation and support of international environment organizations, these companies will be forced to be more careful about environment protection in Bangladesh. This is because these companies are generally more afraid of actions against them in their own countries than in Third World countries.

The second reason is as follows. Many of Bangladesh’s environmental problems are, to a certain extent, the result of global and regional processes. One example is the recent aggravation of floods. Many internal bad policies of Bangladesh are responsible for this aggravation. However, some regional and global processes are also contributing to this problem. Many scientists observe that global warming is causing more moisture from the Indian Ocean being picked up by the southwest monsoon winds resulting in more precipitation and hence more flooding in Bangladesh. Similarly, global warming may cause gradual rise in sea level, further aggravating the problem. Given Bangladesh’s extremely low altitude and flat terrain, any rise in sea level is likely to be of catastrophic consequence. Another problem that can be traced to global geological processes is the problem of potential subsidence of parts of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh cannot hope to cope with these problems alone without the help of international community. Hence it is urgent that Bangladesh establish strong ties with pro-environment forces of the developed countries and with international environmental organizations. The proposed conference will be a step in this direction.

V. Dual Nature of the Conference

Given the above objectives of the conference, it has to have a dual nature. On the one hand, it has to host technical discussion on various aspects of Bangladesh’s environmental problems. On the other hand, it has to act as a forum that can facilitate coalescence of existing pro-environment forces and enlist new ones. In order to do this, the conference will have two types of sessions, namely.

1. Technical Sessions, and
2. General Sessions

a) Technical Sessions

Technical sessions will be held on all major dimensions of environmental degradation that have been mentioned in section-1. A list of such technical sessions can therefore be as follows:

i) Air pollution

ii) Contamination of Ground Water

iii) Aggravation of Flood

iv) Contamination of Surface Water

v) Problem of Industrial Waste

vi) Problem of Household Waste

vii) Problem of Medical Waste

viii) Deforestation

ix) Loss of Bio-diversity

x) Population Growth and Environment

This is just a list of broad topics for technical sessions. Many more topics may be added. Many of these broad topics may be divided into sub-topics. Also, many may need some consolidation. The final list of technical sessions will to a great extent depend on the number and range of technical experts who agree to participate in the conference. Participants in the technical sessions will be any of the following three categories:

i) Resident technical experts,

ii) Non-resident technical experts, and

iii) Foreign technical experts.

The other issue in this regard is to structure the discussions of the technical sessions in such a way that they can lead to clear policy guidance. This will require formulation of the above topics in the form of specific policy related questions. Considerable creativity will be required to make the technical sessions beneficial and useful for the overall purpose of the conference.

b) General Sessions

Participation in the technical sessions will obviously remain limited to experts and people who are prepared to absorb expert discussions. From the point of view of taking the environmental message to broad sections of the people, the main role will belong to the general sessions. In these sessions, people of the following different categories are expected to participate (listed not according to order of importance):

i) Members of the general public,

ii) Representatives of the government

iii) Representatives of professional organizations,

iv) Representatives of various educational establishments,

v) Representatives of the press and media, including journalists,

vi) Representatives of the literary cultural organizations,

vii) Representatives of various NGOs,

viii) Representatives of various political parties,

ix) Representatives of various chambers of commerce,

x) Representatives of women’s organizations,

xi) Representatives of children’s organization,

xii) Representatives of students’ organization,

xiii) Representatives of trade unions,

xiv) Representatives of organizations from districts,

xv) Representatives of donor organizations,

xvi) Representatives of other relevant and interested organizations.

The following is a potential list of topics for general sessions:

i) Environment and the Role of the Government,

ii) Environment and the Role of the NGOs,

iii) Environment and the Role of Professional Organizations,

iv) Environment and the Role of Political Parties,

v) Environment and the Role of Women’s Organizations,

vi) Environment and the Role of Students’ Organizations,

vii) Environment and the Role of Trade Unions,

viii) Environment and the Role of the Press,

ix) Environment and the Role of Literary and Cultural Organizations,

x) Environment and the Role of Employers’ Organizations,

xi) Environment and the Role of Donor Organizations,

The list of topics for the general sessions can be extended, and it can be almost co-terminus with the list of the categories of participants. The final list has to be made up in the light of interest displayed by participants of these different categories. It will also depend on the organizational capacity.

VI. Organization

Structuring of the sessions:

Holding this unusual conference of dual nature will require considerable creativity. The proposed duration of the conference is two (or three) days. In order to accommodate all these technical and general sessions within this timeframe, it will be necessary to have parallel sessions. The conference will therefore be held in a venue that has a good number of small seminar rooms in addition to the large auditorium in which plenary sessions will be held. Most of the technical sessions will be held in seminar rooms in a parallel mode. Many of the general sessions will be held in the main auditorium in a sequential mode, while the rest will be held in seminar rooms in parallel mode.

Apart from the above sessions on particular topics, there will be two special general sessions, namely the inaugural and the concluding sessions. These sessions will obviously be held in the main auditorium.

Guests:

There will be many guests to the conference. Apart from guest-participants of the technical and sessions, the list of guests will include distinguished national and international personalities. For the opening session, the Prime Minister of the country will be invited as the Chief Guest. The Environment Minister, Leader of the opposition, and other political leaders will be invited as special guests. Many distinguished guests will act as chairs of general sessions on relevant topics.

Venue:

The conference will be held in a suitable venue in the city of Dhaka. Because of the general spirit of the conference and its dual nature, this conference will not be held in exclusive confines of luxury hotels. Its venue will be such that it is accessible to general public. In addition, the technical necessity of having quite a few seminar rooms around the auditorium will have to be taken into note. In view of these requirements, the National Museum Complex situated in Shahbag, Dhaka has been suggested as the venue of the conference.

Date:

The conference will be held in mid-January, 2000. This will be just few days after the Eid-ul-Fitr. Political turmoil (hartals) is not expected to gear up after Eid so soon. These dates are therefore likely to be relatively safe from that point of view.

Finance:

To conform to the spirit of this conference, it has been felt that it needs to be organized on a self-reliant basis, as much as possible. In particular, it is desirable to avoid soliciting and taking funds from Bangladesh’s donor organizations. This is to preserve the independence of the conference. For good or worse, many donor organizations have been a party to the processes that have led to Bangladesh’s current environmental situation. Being financially dependent on them will rob the conference the right to an independent assessment and review. Hence, another principle that has to be followed is enlightened frugality. Avoidance of posh venue accords well with that principle. Similarly, many foreign guests will be put up with families of environmental activists in Bangladesh instead of having to lodge them in hotels. Student-volunteers will be sought from colleges and universities to help with various organizational tasks. Decisions regarding food, refreshment, etc. can also be taken in the light of this principle. Despite this frugality, there are certain unavoidable expenses, and some fund will be necessary to bear those expenses. In this regard, the conference will rely, as much as possible, on individual contributions by environmentally conscious Bangladeshis. This will also help increase the sense participation. By bearing the costs, common citizens of Bangladesh will also own this conference. Bangladesh Environment Network (BEN) is collecting contributions from its members. Similar efforts are under way inside Bangladesh too.

Publicity:

The idea and news of this conference needs to be widely publicized. Journalists and newspapers can play a big role in this regard. Particular attention will be paid to enlist the support of the newspapers to this end. An important objective in this regard should be to reach educational establishments. The message of the conference should reach educational institutions of all levels, starting from the primary to the post-graduate. The message also has to reach educational institutions all across the country, and not just in the capital city. Various teachers’ organizations can also play an important role in this regard. It is important to reach the students. They represent the future generation. If environmental responsibility can be instilled in the young minds of students, that will serve as important shield against future environmental degradation in Bangladesh.

Cultural Events:

Various organize cultural events will be organized during the evenings of the conference days. The cultural programs will focus on environmental and patriotic themes. Some evening hours will be devoted to showing of videos on environmental issues. These programs will also help enlist cultural activists of the country to the environment movement.

Displays:

The conference will also be accompanied by displays. Various NGOs and other organizations will be encouraged to set up stalls to display their work. Bookstores will be set up to make environment literature available to the conference participants. Displays will also be made to illustrate vividly various dimensions of environmental damage that is occurring in Bangladesh.

Organizers:

The conference idea has received enormous response. According to the latest report, over one hundred environmental organizations in Bangladesh have expressed support for this conference. These include environmental NGOs, academic institutions, professional organizations, etc. The efforts of resident Bangladeshis are being coordinated by POROSH. In a meeting on May 21 organized by POROSH and attended by representatives of many environmental organizations a steering committee has been formed with POROSH Chairman Mr. A. M. A. Muhith as the Chair. In the same meeting, a Technical Subcommittee was formed with BUET Professor Ainun Nishat as the Chair. Another Subcommittee in charge of finance and logistics was formed with Ministry of Youth Secretary Mr. Shajahan as the Chair. Other members of these various committees include Prof. Jamilur Reza Chowdhury of BUET, Dr. Saleemul Huq, Executive Director of Bangladesh Center for Advanced Studies (BCAS), Prof. Nazrul Islam, Department of Geography Dhaka University, and Mr. Abu Naser Khan, General Secretary of POROSH. Resident Bangladeshis who would like to support and participate in the conference are encouraged to contact the above mentioned persons.

Meanwhile Bangladesh Environment Network (BEN) is organizing the efforts of non-resident Bangladesh for this conference. BEN held a two-day meeting on June 5-6 at Emory University Campus in Atlanta, USA to prepare for this conference. In this meeting a BEN Convening Committee was formed with Emory University Economics Professor Nazrul Islam as the Chair. A Sub-committee headed by Ohio University Professor Saleh Tanveer was formed to help organize the technical sessions. Another Subcommittee was formed to help organize the general sessions. A BEN delegation will come to Bangladesh in August to coordinate the efforts of resident and non-resident Bangladeshis and finalize the program of the conference.

VII Conclusion

It is urgent that environmental degradation is stopped in Bangladesh. This will not happen unless there is a strong environment movement in the country. In order to build such a movement, it is necessary to bring all existing pro-environment forces of Bangladesh together and enlist new ones. The proposed conference will help achieve this goal. Environmental degradation affects each and every Bangladeshi one way or the other. Hence, all Bangladeshis have to come forward to protect the country’s environment. They cannot hope that others will fix these problems for them. All conscious Bangladeshis are encouraged to participate in the environment movement. All of them are urged to make the January 2000 Dhaka Environmental Conference a success.

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