The fishery resources of the country continue to make an outstanding contribution to meeting the nutritional needs of every human being. Moreover, fisheries resources occupy a huge place in the export products. There is a proverb in Bengali “Bengali in fish and rice”. The relationship of Bengalis with fish is very close. Old books, artifacts – everything that a Bengali can recognize by looking at it in bold is his habit of eating rice and fish. The eternal prayer of a Bengali is to put fish in the mouth of his child. Even today, the children and teenagers of rural Bengal get involved in the festival centering on fishing. And plastic products have hurt that Bengali entity.
A recent study by Jahangirnagar University (JU) found 15 species of native fish with plastic particles (microplastics). These artificially farmed fish are Kalbaush, Bele, Tangra, Koi, Bata, Rui, Tilapia, Common Carp, Pabda, Putti, Rayna, Shillong, Bain, Tankini, and Bacha. The amount of plastic is more in Tangra, Tankini, Rayna, or Meni fish. A related research article was published in the international journal Science of the Total Environment. In addition, 18 species of native fish were investigated for the effects of microplastics, of which 15 species were found to have microplastics in their digestive tract. 73.30 percent of plastic particles have been found in the fish farmed in artificially freshwater ponds. High-density polyethylene, polypropylene polyethylene copolymer, and ethylene-vinyl acetate are present in Kalbaush, Bele, Tangra, Koi, Bata, Rui, Tilapia, Common Carp, Pabda, Putti, Rayna, Shillong, Bain, Tankini and Bacha fish. These plastic particles do not enter the human body directly with food. However, toxic chemicals secreted from these accumulate in the body or muscles of the fish. If these fish are taken as food later, it creates health risks in the human body.
The human food list, along with various elements of the environment, is now occupied by plastic pollution. Especially microplastics. Microplastics are small particles of plastic, less than five millimeters in length. Waste plastics are made by breaking down photo-chemical biologically into microplastics. Its harmful side is fatal. There have been many studies on microplastic contamination of fish in different countries of the world. Earlier, no experimental study on freshwater fish in our country found evidence of this.
Bangladesh alone produces 3,000 tons of plastic waste daily. A small part of it goes to the sea through the river. The rest of the waste and a portion of the huge plastic waste from the Ganges, and Brahmaputra basin countries are seriously polluting the various rivers and terrain of the country. According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) report on the state of plastic use in the world, about 63,000 tons of plastic waste is dumped into the sea through Bangladesh every day. It is the fifth-largest in the world in terms of quantity. The source of this waste is China, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh in the Ganges, Jamuna, and Brahmaputra basins. These go to the sea through Padma, Meghna, and Jamuna of Bangladesh. The world produces 30 million tons of plastic waste every day. 6 million tons of it is falling into the sea through 10 major river basins. China is the source of all eight of these 10 rivers. Among these, the pollution of the Brahmaputra basin also affects Bangladesh.
According to a report by the Environment and Social Development Organization (SDO), a non-governmental organization, 7.5 million tonnes of plastic waste are currently deposited in Bangladesh’s water bodies. Three thousand tons are being added to it every day. The organization has identified plastic and polythene bags as one of the major threats to the country’s environment. They say, in a country where the growth rate of organic waste is five point two percent. The growth rate of plastic waste there is seven and a half percent. Despite knowing that it is harmful to the environment, 81 percent people of in the country are using polythene bags.
Polythene bags were banned in our country in 2002. In 2010, the use of jute bags as product wrappers was enacted. But we obey the law! Moreover, in the current situation, we cannot imagine a day without plastic products. So it is not possible to take legal action. The use of plastic products is increasing day by day. Although paper-pen polythene bags are banned, according to the Department of Environment, there are hundreds of polythene bag factories in the country. These factories in the capital’s Lalbagh, Hazaribagh, Sadarghat, Gazipur, and Chittagong are producing prohibited products under the existing taboos. Its use in the market is almost normal.
If this continues, our Bengali identity will be lost due to the lack of pure fish. Jute products should be used only as an alternative to plastic products like experts. Because jute is perishable. So we need to focus on the jute industry and encourage people to use jute products. Although jute cannot be used in packets and bottled food items, the packets can be re-collected, refined, and recycled. This will reduce the demand for plastics and reduce the production of plastic waste, as Japan is doing now. They are very active in recycling in every field from industrial to the household. So Japan is at the top of plastic recycling in the world. But after the United States, Japan is the most used plastic. So we can also adopt that approach to make a plastic waste-free country. After all, in the current context, plastic products have become part of our daily necessities. But its devastating effects are forever destroying our environment, fisheries, and human civilization. Now is the time to take immediate steps to control the use of plastic products.