Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW Vol. 5 Num 151 Sat. October 23, 2004       Letters to Editor Floods and polythene bags Incommunicado Dhaka More than two years ago, the government banned the production, sale, and use of polythene bags in the country. The then Minister of Environment, while advocating the banning of polythene use, cited about a dozen reasons (some of them unscientific, even ludicrous) to justify the ban. One such reason, often loudly proclaimed by the minister, the DOE officials, as well as some ill-informed journalists, was that since polythene is not biodegradable, it gets into the city sewers through open manholes (thanks to the efficiency of DCC), and therefore, causes floods in Dhaka streets whenever it rains. The rationale was that Dhaka streets will become flood-free if polythene bags are not used. The recent rains and floods in Dhaka as well as the June floods have amply shown how ridiculous was the claim of the minister and the over zealous ministry officials! All of us must have also seen on TV that, during flood relief operations, the ministers and the politicians distribute food and other perishable commodities in polythene bags, and not in jute or paper bags, as advocated by the former Minister of Environment.