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When the Mughal emperor Jehangir established Dhaka – the capital and the largest metropolis of Bangladesh – in 1608 on the banks of the river Buriganga, little did he know that it would become one of the most polluted cities in the world. In our series on sustainable development trends in South Asia, the spotlight in this issue is on Bangladesh and its endeavours towards ensuring better environmental conditions.

Agriculture is the most favoured economic option in Bangladesh, which contributes to the country’s GDP (gross domestic product) with about 23 per cent share and employs about 62 per cent of the country’s total labour force. It has, however, been a food-deficit country for several decades now. Rice and wheat production was emphasized upon since the Green Revolution in the 1970s to achieve self-sufficiency in food grains. As a result, some secondary crops, including coarse grains, pulses, roots, and tubers – which occupy about six per cent of the total cropped area – became less attractive.

A UNESCAP-CAPSA (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific - Community Abuse Prevention Services Agency)-sponsored study was undertaken in 2003 to examine the possibilities of enhancing sustainable development of diverse agriculture in Bangladesh. It revealed that the development of secondary crops would help the country tide over its food crisis.

Following the Rio Earth Summit (1992), the government of Bangladesh initiated a UNDP (United Nations Development Programme)-backed programme to identify and prioritize environmental concerns, which included management of natural resources, and protection and regeneration of biodiversity unique to the country. Out of this exercise came the comprehensive SEMP (Sustainable Environment Management Programme) that was the first national attempt to target critical environmental challenges through an umbrella programme working at the policy as well as the community levels.

The Environmental Pollution Control Ordinance, 1977, replaced the existing Water Pollution Control Ordinance, 1970, and was the first official regulatory framework to provide for the control and prevention of environmental pollution in Bangladesh. A more comprehensive regulatory mechanism came much later in 1995 in the form of the Environmental Protection Act that provided for the conservation, improvement, and mitigation of pollution. The Act led to the creation of the Department of Environment in 1989 in the country.

Along with the legislative measures, the government of Bangladesh implemented the use of unleaded gasoline in Dhaka. The problem of lead pollution in the city was identified as early as 1980. Timely action on the part of the Ministry of Energy in 1997 led to the reduction of lead content in petroleum products from 0.8 gram per litre in the 1980s to an average of 0.4 gram per litre in 1997. This was achieved by blending locally refined gasoline with imported unleaded gasoline. Growing public pressure encouraged the National Environment Council to adopt a resolution to switch over to unleaded gasoline in 1998 and, subsequently, the Ministry of Energy decided to go lead-free in 2002.

Governmental as well as non-governmental organizations in the country have realized the potential of renewable energy sources and have been implementing various SPV (solar photovoltaic) projects for the last few years. While most of these are in the demonstration/dissemination stage, SHS (solar home systems) are being used at a scale much larger than ever before. Recent initiatives in this direction include more varied applications, but compared to other countries in the South Asian region, Bangladesh still lags behind considerably in the energy sweepstakes.

Since the implementation of the NEP (National Energy Policy) in 1996, a number of policy recommendations have been standardized. First, the private sector is authorized to take part in the production of electricity, exploration, production, and management of natural gas, and so on. As a result, a number of private companies are operating with small-to medium-scale power plants. Second, all the new, government-owned power generation units use natural gas, as the base fuel and the older technologies in coal-fired and diesel-based plants are being phased out. Moreover, the new installations (combined cycle-power generation units) are more efficient. Overall, the NEP has been very effective in terms of reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from electricity production, although capital investments for improved alternatives were much higher than those for old technologies.

Bangladesh, despite its proclivity to natural disasters and political turmoil, has been successful in outmoding non-sustainable and polluting methods of energy and electricity production. It has also made significant inroads into sustainable agricultural practices and eco-friendly management techniques. The sustainability report card, therefore, stands the country in good stead, even though it has miles to go to match a few of its neighbours.

Source: Terragreen