Recent Concerns about the Environment in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world and is affected by natural disasters, pollution and a range of public health hazards. The country's main environmental constraints are its susceptibility to seasonal flooding, inadequate sanitation and its limited infrastructure for wastewater management. Conversion of the Sundarbans to shrimp ponds and rice paddies has reduced the protection provided by this coastal strip. This, along with sedimentation in the western delta region, has increased the flood risk. High river flow rates during the monsoon in the centre and east of the Bay of Bengal are a threat to human and animal safety. Difficulties with installing and maintaining sanitation networks in flood-prone regions are causing pollution problems, and this has become more evident from recent reports about antibiotic-resistant strains of enteric pathogens in coastal shrimps and prawns. Pollution with sewage and wastewaters from the shrimp farming and leather industries are contributing to poor water quality in the rivers and delta. Difficulties in achieving immediate and adequate surveillance during the 2007 avian influenza outbreak may have compromised control standards for this disease. This article gives an overview of these and other environmental and health issues affecting the country.