DHAKA, Mar 28 (NNN-BSS) – Bangladesh will ban single-use plastic items in the Sundarbans, one of the world’s largest mangrove forests.
Sundarbans’ environment and biodiversity are being severely affected, due to the haphazard use of plastics, Bangladeshi Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister, Md Shahab Uddin said, at a meeting here yesterday, adding, “We’ll no more allow tourists to use single-use plastic items in the Sundarbans.”
The Sundarbans mangrove forest lies on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers, on the Bay of Bengal. The site is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests. It is known for a wide range of fauna, including 260 bird species, the Bengal tiger and other threatened species, such as the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
The minister said, the country has also imposed bans on single-use plastic items in its coastal districts, and at all government offices, which are required to hold regular meetings with stakeholders, to increase awareness against plastics-triggered pollution.
Bangladesh has a population of more than 165 million, with a very high population density.
Experts said, the country’s rapid economic growth and urbanisation, come at a high environmental cost. Pollution is not only impacting people’s health, but also eroding the country’s economic competitiveness.– NNN-BSS
