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Comments on the World Bank Project

by

Nazrul Islam Emory University

Friends,

You may seen the news regarding the $6.5 million four-year "Air Quality Management Project" financed by the World Bank.

Apparently this is good news. One of the main components of this project seems to be phasing out of the two stroke engine vehicles (TSEV). TSEVs are the prime source of air pollution in Bangladesh, especially in Dhaka, and their eradication has been one of the main demands of all environment conscious people.

Many organizations and individuals have worked toward this goal, and credit goes to them all for getting the government finally committed to this goal. These include newspapers like the Daily Star which has tirelessly editorialized and reported on this issue. Also notable was the role of the daily Sangbad whose news breaking story about nationalized commercial banks' loan to import more TSEVs generated the protest that lead the government to retreat. Also important was the role of organizations like Bangladesh Environment Lawyers' Association (BELA) which finally brought suit against government secretaries on this issue. According to reports, the environment minister Ms. Sajeda Chowdhury had to put up a stiff fight against the transportation authorities (including BRTC) to make them finally agree not to issue new permits to TSEVs. She and other officials of her ministry also need to be thanked. In short, everybody who worked for this object deserve some credit.

However, there are several reasons to worry. First, this is still a memorandum of understanding (MOU). This needs to be fleshed out into a detailed project and then faithfully implemented. Hence there is still a long way to go. Interested quarters may continue to try and be successful in derailing and foiling the main purpose of the project, namely eradication of TSEVs. People involved may prove eager to get the money earmarked for various testing and reduction of emission (with dubious ultimate effect), and let the main goal of TSEV-eradication to be diluted and slip by.

Thus, all those who have worked to reach this stage will have to continue to work hard to see that this project actually achieves its goal. Without their constant vigilance and active intervention, it is difficult to be sanguine about the ultimate success of this project.

This also brings up the second source of worry. The Daily Star in its editorial (Oct. 17) has lauded the World Bank for its role in preparing this project and getting it approved. This shows two things. First, as a nation we, by ourselves, are still not capable of taking as simple a policy initiative as that of phasing out TSEVs. These days, one often hears from our ministers, like industries and commerce minister Mr. Tofael Ahmed, that Bangladesh is soon becoming a rich developed nation. The other day the finance minister, Mr. Kibria, also expressed similar sentiments in a meeting in Boston. Yet, the fact remains that Bangladesh could not take the simple decision of replacing TSEVs by more regular type vehicles without being cajoled by the World Bank.

Is it because the country is too poor to deserve regular type vehicles instead of the TSEV death machines? If that is so, then why is all this talk about Bangladesh almost becoming a rich country? If poverty is the reason, then how Nepal, whose per capita income is even less than that of Bangladesh, could nevertheless ban TSEVs?

It is not only that the World Bank had to cajole us to this decision, frankly speaking, it had to basically 'bribe' us to this decision. It had to come up with a multi-million dollar project. Only then could many of the Bangladeshi officials be made interested in such an initiative.

It is not that we have to against aid projects per se, though it is doubtful how beneficial foreign aid generally is. However, in Bangladesh, as in many other developing countries, aid money has been and is being spent on far more dubious and harmful projects. Compared to the damage that TSEVs are causing to our national health, $6.5 million may not be a big sum, even considered as a 'bribe.' What is worrisome is that if money is the main driving force behind this decision, and not commitment to interests of the nation and the people, then it is difficult to be certain that the goal of TSEV eradication will be actually achieved even after this money is spent.

This makes the necessity of continued vigilance, initiative, and intervention of the environmentally conscious people of Bangladesh regarding this project all the more acute.

On a broader note, we all have to work towards developing a "national capability" so that Bangladesh on her own, without being coaxed by outsiders, can understand what is bad for the lungs of her citizens. Unfortunately, just as all men, including Ulysses', entering Circe's palace turned into animals, all policy initiatives in Bangladesh get transmuted into aid- (read loan-) financed projects. Often times these end up being just rackets. We need to make sure that this new World Bank TSEV elimination project does not meet with similar fate.