GMO Threat !!! Now in Bangladesh

GMO Threat !!! Now in Bangladesh

For your own future join with us

Our country is very rich in biodiversity and our society is based on a diverse agriculture. Any wrong step can cause a disaster for the masses of farmers. We don’t waste our time to discuss any “economic benefits” of GMO technology. We want to stop its introduction into bangla agriculture to save our farmers and the environment.

 We are not machines and don’t want to get fed with artificial chemicals. Our food is alive and what is on our plate shall not come from the laboratory. For GMO companies food is just a product to serve their profits but for us food is a holy part for our daily life.

If the GMO bomb explodes on Bangladesh, and i am suffering from it. You will also be affected wherever you live. GMOs not only affect me and our farmers – it will destroy your biodiversity as well.

They have tried in India and failed - they tried in Indonesia and Europe and have been kicked out. For profits GMO companies are acting like mad dogs. But in Bangladesh the GMO lobby has misguided us with false promises.

We will not sacrifice our life, country and future generations for the profits of GMO companies. We believe that our government is for us - not for the GMO corporations profits. We hope that our government and you also join us save the earth from the GMO companies grip.

For millions of years our earth has served us. Now is the time for all people to join under a common oath to save the earth from the invasion of GMO companies. Where ever you live please unite with us.  

Govt move to recover city wetlands fails

The government has failed to demarcate the boundaries of wetlands in the capital and its surrounding areas in last one year, speakers told an event yesterday.

They said the government and authorities concerned were active during last one year to recover the canals and wetlands from grabbers. But they have virtually lost to an invisible force, they added.

The remarks came from the event on drawing maps of wetlands and canals in the capital and its environs, says a press release.

Nirapad Development Foundation and Campaign for Development Foundation jointly organised it at National Press Club premises.

Some youths drew the maps in protest of the government's failure to demarcate the wetlands despite various attempts in last one year.

The discussants said existence of human civilisation in the city and its neighbouring areas will be destroyed if the wetlands in the areas cease to exist.

There were once 43 canals in Dhaka city, but 25 canals have disappeared in the last three decades while width of existing canals has been squeezed due to encroaching, they added.

The authorities' negligence to the canals and the government's failure are the main reasons behind loss of the wetlands, observed the speakers.

Muhsin Tutul of Campaign for Development Foundation, KM Rokibul Islam of PSS, and Nasima Akhter Lipi of Nirapad Development Foundation, among others, were present.

The Daily Star



Syed Saiful Alam
shovan1209[at]yahoo.com

Protection of wetlands

Sammilito Joladhar Rakkhya Andolon stages a demonstration in front of the fine arts faculty of Dhaka University yesterday demanding protection of wetlands and implementation of DAP.Photo

Different environmentalist organisations yesterday demanded protection of the wetlands and implementation of Detailed Area Plan (DAP) for the city.

They made the demand at a rally titled 'Monster Rally' in front of the fine arts faculty of Dhaka University.

They termed the grabbers of wetlands 'monsters' and held the rally carrying some effigies of monsters.

Speakers at the rally said all the wetlands of the city should be freed from pollution and encroachment. They also demanded punishment to the grabbers of wetlands.

Sammilito Joladhar Rakkhya Andolon organised the rally. Sayeed Munna of Sammilito Joladhar Rakkhya Andolon, general secretary of Pratyasha Helal Ahmed and chairman of Nirapad Ibnul Sayeed Rana spoke at the rally.

The Daily Star

Syed Saiful Alam

Govt urged not to backtrack from DAP implementation

Environment activists on Friday demanded that the government should immediately implement the detailed area plan of the capital to curb further pollution and grabbing of water bodies by industrialists and realtors.





Speaking in a protest rally in front the fine arts faculty of Dhaka University, the greens urged the government to protect the rivers, canals and flood flow zones across and around the city to ensure liveable atmosphere for the future generation.





Sammilita Jaladhar Rakkha Andolan, a youths’ platform working for protecting natural water bodies, organised the programme to press for their 11-point charter of demands that also included making circular waterways surrounding the Dhaka city operational, creating CS an RS maps of all canals in the city and sufficient budgetary allocation for recovering and protecting the water bodies grabbed by different quarters over the past decades





Syed Munna, an activist of the organisation, said the city’s once rich canal network had been destroyed and almost disappeared for uncontrolled and illegal grabbing since the independence, causing severe damage to the drainage system. Before the independence, 47 canals flowed across the city, of which 25 have disappeared due to grabbing, he added.





Speakers in the meeting also pointed out that erecting establishments on natural water bodies goes against the Environment Conservation Act, 1995, Bengal Canal Act, 1868 and Garden and Natural Water Body Act, 2000. They urged the government not to retreat from implementing DAP being influenced by vested quarters.

The Daily New Age

Syed Saiful Alam
shovan1209[at]yahoo.com

City people exposed to serious sound pollution

City people exposed to serious sound pollution Children the worst victims
Sajia Afrin
The Dhaka city people, especially the children, are exposed to serious health hazards because of aggravating sound pollution, physicians and health activists said.

They said unabated use of hydraulic horns, noise produced by industries, mills and factories, aircraft, noise produced during construction work and excessive use of mobile phones and telephones are causing different types of health hazards.

Short hearing, heart ailments and high blood pressure are the major complications people are suffering from mostly because of sound pollution, they said.
The brain development of the children might well be hampered because of continuous noise pollution, they observed.
‘Due to high volume of sound, people are suffering from short hearing, high blood pressure and different kinds of cardiovascular diseases. Exposure to continuous sound above the tolerable level even may cause people to be easily irritable and permanently deaf,’ Mani Lal Aich Litu, ear, nose, throat specialist and surgeon of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, told New Age.

He said sound above 80 decibel is very dangerous for hearing. ‘Ear cells may be damaged because of continuous exposure to high volume of sound while it may also cause short hearing,’ he said.
‘Children are the worst victims of sound pollution, particularly of the sound caused by television sets and rock music. It may lead to their permanent deafness,’ Litu said, adding, ‘Even foetus can also be affected with noise pollution.’

Around 150 people visit the ENT outdoor every day and one third of them come with problems in hearing, he said.

Litu said the employees of the call centres are another group who also suffer most from sound pollution as their job requires them to attend phone calls continuously. They do not get sufficient time for giving their ear rest, he said.

Sukumar Biswas, acting director of the department of environment at Dhaka divisional office, said noise pollution in the capital city has crossed the tolerable label because of the increased number of vehicles.

‘Bangladesh Road Transport Authority has to play an vital role in removing unfit vehicles from the city roads,’ he added.

He also said DoE cannot conduct drives regularly owing to acute shortage of manpower. ‘The noise pollution could have been controlled if the drives would be conducted regularly,’ Sukumar said.
Sarwar Kamal, cardiac vascular and thoracic surgeon of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, said the cardiovascular patients are seriously affected with high volume of sound. ‘Frequent exposure to sound above the tolerable level of sound could be dangerous for patients with high blood pressure,’ he said.
The expert said the students gradually lose their capability to concentrate on their studies as they become fatigued, inattentive and suffer from headache because of sound pollution.

Sound is among the 12 factors responsible for environmental pollution and which cause 30 types of serious diseases, according to the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Bank researches.

According to the Noise Pollution (control) Act, 2006, tolerable noise level in the Dhaka city is 50 decibels at daytime while 40 decibels at night in the silent zones that include areas near hospitals and educational institutions. The tolerable limit of sound in the residential areas is 55 decibels at daytime and 45 decibels at night while it is 60 decibels at daytime and 50 decibels at night in the industrial areas.

According to a survey conducted by the Work for Better Bangladesh Trust on April 27 and April 28, 2009, noise level measured at different parts of the city in different time was between 77 to 105 decibels.
Noise level was measured 105 decibel at Shahbagh (silent zone) at around 4:00pm where the country’s two prominent hospitals are located.

Another study conducted by the Work for Better Bangladesh Trust and the Asia Pacific University conducted in 2007 measured the sound level at 101 decibels the in Dhanmandi residential area, 86 decibels in the BIRDEM area and 82 decibels in front of the Viquarunnisa Noon School and College on Bailey Road.
Form The Daily New Age

Measures demanded to contain air pollution

Measures demanded to contain air pollution


Green activists on Saturday demanded immediate and effective measures to contain air pollution in the capital city as the concentration of dust has crossed the standard limit by five to ten times in the city air depending on the areas.

The green activists under the banner of Save Environment Movement formed a human chain in front of the office of Dhaka city mayor, Nagar Bhaban, to press home the demand.

Save Environment Movement chairman Abu Naser Khan, Nirapad Development Foundation chairman Ibnul Sayeed Rana, Save Environment Movement joint secretary Sagiruzzaman Shakik, Puran Dhaka Unnayan Forum president Nazimuddin and Bishwa Sahitya Kendra representative Mesbahuddin Suman were present on the occasion.

‘The Bangladeshi standard for the level of suspended particulate matter (air pollutant) in the residential areas is 200 micro gram per cubic metre. But the level touched 2000mg/m3 in different parts of the city,’ said Abu Naser Khan.

He said average dust concentration in the air of the capital varies from 1000 to 1200mg/m3 which is five to six times higher than the Bangladeshi standard and seven to eight times higher than the WHO standard. WHO sets SPM level in the commercial at 120mg/m3, he added.

‘Road digging, plying of uncovered sand-laden trucks and keeping construction materials open on the roadsides are the major causes of dust in the city, which are responsible for severe air pollution, posing health hazards to the city dwellers,’ he observed.

The green activists called on the government to formulate special policy to contain the steady increase in dust concentration in the city and to instruct all the authorities concerned to take strong measures to follow the respective rules while constructing building, digging roads and sweeping the roads.

Severe air pollution is threatening public health in the Dhaka city, they said.
Due to the excessive dust in Dhaka’s air, people are falling victim to different complex diseases including tuberculosis, asthma, respiratory complications, bronchitis and other skin diseases, they observed.

Sweeping of the city roads during daytime is another reason for increase in dust.
According to the city corporation rules, garbage collection and its disposal should be done before 8:00am but the rule is not duly followed.

No mechanism to curb misuse of govt vehicles Govt spends Tk 35,000 a month on each car !!!

No mechanism to curb misuse of govt vehicles
Govt spends Tk 35,000 a month on each car
Mustafizur Rahman

The government does not have any central mechanism to check misuse of its transport, especially the vehicles under various projects, allowing many officials and employees to avail themselves of transport facilities round the clock which they are not entitled to.

An officer of the rank of joint secretary and above belongs to the ‘privileged group in the civil service and is entitled to 24-hour car facilities’ but those below the rank of joint secretary are not entitled to such facilities, said an official at the establishment ministry.

‘Those who are entitled to 24-hour car facilities are enjoying it. So there is no question of misuse of the transport under the government pool….But there is no central mechanism to oversee the use of vehicles procured under different projects,’ transport commissioner of the directorate of government transport Md Ibadat Ali told New Age on Thursday.

He said the authorities concerned were supposed to hand over the vehicles to the transport pool on completion of the projects under various ministries.
‘It is the responsibility of the authorities concerned to look after the project vehicles until they are given to the transport pool on completion of the projects,’ Ibadat, who holds the rank of an additional secretary, said in reply to a question.

Nowadays most departments and directorates do not hand over the project cars – mostly sport utility vehicles – to the government transport pool on the pretext that the project duration could be extended or that new projects were being taken, said officials.

They alleged that the departments and directorates offered the SUVs procured
under different projects to the high-ups for their personal use as they wanted to make happy the high officials close to the ministers and secretaries.

‘The authorities under different ministries and divisions offer luxury vehicles to the high officials at the ministries for personal use…It is a common practice in the administration,’ an officer said. ‘Some senior officials in this way get one vehicle from the pool and another from a department and his family uses the cars.’

Many such officials below the rank of joint secretary are using cars from various projects under different ministries, said the official adding that private secretaries to ministers and secretaries holding either the rank of deputy secretary or senior assistant secretary usually enjoyed car facilities offered by the departments and directorates under the respective ministries.

‘Some ministries have their own arrangements for providing car facilities for officials like PS, APS and PRO at the offices of the ministers.’

All these luxury cars, originally procured for project works, do not have an emblem for identification while each car or jeep of the government transport pool has a flag stand for a distinction, said a deputy director of the directorate of government transport, adding that the government cars had number plates in red till 1990.

The colour was changed into black and white at the fag end of the HM Ershad’s government to avoid the public wrath when an anti-government movement was at its peak, said the official who has been serving the transport pool for 27 years.

He said the transport pool provides a car for each minister and one microbus for use by the officials of his office.

The government has to spend around Tk 35,000 against each car for driver, fuel charge and maintenance as each official is allocated 180 liters of fuel a month, said the official.

During 1997-2009, the transport pool received around 900 motor vehicles from various projects while it has a total of 602 cars and microbuses of its own in operation, according to official record.

Meanwhile, the government has taken an initiative to procure 40 cars and 30 microbuses for its transport pool.


The Daily New Age

syed saiful alam
Central Member of Save the Environment Movement
shovan1209@yahoo.com
www.dhaka-rickshaw.blogspot.com