Chittagong Port city faces environmental hazards

The overall natural environment of the port city Chittagong is under threat due to the pollution, rampant hill and tree cutting and inadequate drainage and sewerage system for discharging clinical, industrial and household waste. As a result, Chittagong is increasingly exposed to high risk manmade and natural disasters.
Pollution of environment, indiscriminate hill cutting and deforestation might be among the causes for such natural disasters, experts said, adding non-implementation of the recommendations of the experts and various committees has been aggravating the situation.
Sources said, landslide is one of the prime environment problems in Chittagong. Almost every year, incidents of landslide occurred here due to heavy rainfall in mansoon. In June 2007, nearly 130 people, including women, children and policemen, were killed and more than 100 others injured in landslide in the city and nearby areas of Chittagong. Besides, a total of nine people of two families were killed and 10 others injured in a landslide in Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar district on July 11 last year.
According one estimate, about 300 people were killed in landslides in Chittagong in recent past.
According to the sources, the probe committees that were formed to investigate the tragic landslides in Chittagong in 2007 identified total 33 reasons for landslides and wall collapse in Chittagong. The committees also recommended 50 points for saving Chittagong from landslides and wall collapses. According to the report, a total of 28 causes were identified for causing landslides alone in Chittagong. The committees also submitted a 36 point-recommendation to save Chittagong from the curses of landslides.
The committees recommended immediate suspension of illegal hill cutting, banning setting up brick fields within 10 KMs of hills, refusing giving permission to housing companies for construction of any housing project within 5 KMs of hills, stopping giving lease of hills and hilly lands to any company, taking legal action under criminal acts against those involved in hill cuttings and taking actions against illegal occupiers of hills and hilly land.
But, most of the recommendations remained unimplemented due to negligence of the local administration, many local people alleged.  As a result, hill cutting is rampant in the greater Chittagong as well as landslide in the rainy season.
According to sources, massive hill cutting by influential individuals or organisations, both from public and private sectors for commercial and non-commercial purposes, had been continuing in recent years in the city and nearby districts. Al these threatened environment, natural beauty and bio-diversity of this region having wonderful geographical uniqueness.
On the other hand, poisonous chemicals including leaked oil were discharged in the river Karnaphuli causing the pollution of river water. The industries and factories that are situated on the river banks also discharge harmful chemical wastes in Karnaphuli river. Also ships and tankers using the river also cause pollution. The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) has taken steps for buying new ships for cleaning the oil and poisonous chemicals from the water of river Karnaphuli and Bay of Bengal recently. The Western Marine Limited, a ship building company of Bangladesh, is deployed to build such ships for CPA.
On the other hand, around 40 lakh city dwellers mostly throw their household wastes into the cannels and underground drains in the city. Among the badly affected major nearly dried canals are Nasir Khal, Bohadder Hat Khal and Hijra Khal. The five kilometre long Chaktai Khal virtually got filled up with urban wastes. As a result, rainwater usually over-flow from the canal flooding both sides causing immense sufferings to more than five lakh residents from Bahadderhat to Chaktai areas. Moreover, there is no drainage system in the port city Chittagong. Despite of the Master Plan of CDA, no authorities, including CDA, WASA or City Corporation, took any initiative to develop drainage system in Chittagong City for a long time.
Besides, the clinical garbage polluted the port city, as there is no management of clinical garbage of at least 200 hospitals and clinic in Chittagong.
Most of the clinics and hospitals dump their wastes at nearby areas of these establishments, sources said.
Meanwhile, CCC took steps for cleaning the clinical garbage of the port city for the sake of the public health since January this year.

Courtesy of The Independent