Pollution may drive fish away from Bay

Continuation of environmental contamination at the current rate may prompt fish to start shifting away from the Bay of Bengal, hampering protein supply and livelihoods, environmentalists told an international seminar in the capital's Cirdap auditorium yesterday. 

“Pollution in Water Ways of Bangladesh, the Risk on Ecosystem and Human Health and other Beneficial Water Uses” was organised by the Chittagong University's Institute of Marine Sciences and Fisheries to reveal findings of a research.

The research identified Khejurtolighat, Halda and Sadarghat in Chittagong and Kamrangirchar and Boropole Bastuhara Colony in Dhaka as the five “most hazardous sites” or “pollution hot spots” where high concentrations of most of the carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting toxic metals were detected.

Assessing the ecological and public health risks of metal contamination within the waterway, the research said such abundance posed a risk to water use including for drinking, irrigation and agriculture and to aquatic species, human health and livelihoods. Titled “Pollution monitoring in rivers, estuaries and coastal areas of Bangladesh with artificial mussel (AM) technology”, the research made use of artificial mussels for monitoring and assessing concentration levels of 11 metals including mercury, cadmium, copper and uranium.

The institute, in collaboration with scientists from RMIT University, Australia; City University of Hong Kong; and University of Hong Kong, conducted the research monitoring 21 sites in the Karnaphuli river estuary, Chittagong coast, Cox's Bazar and the Buriganga, Bahira, Pasur and Rupsa rivers between 2013 and 2014.

Secretaries Shelina Afroza of fisheries and livestock and Rear Admiral (retd) Khurshed Alam of the foreign affairs (maritime affairs division) ministries and Chittagong University Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury were present.