Sohel Rana Babu, Bagerhat

Despite the court's order to stop the use of one-time or single-use plastic products, it is not being implemented in the tourism-rich district of Bagerhat. In February 2020, the High Court ordered the ban on the use of one-time plastic products in all hotels, motels, restaurants in the country and all coastal tourist areas, especially in the tourist spots of the southern Sundarbans, to protect biodiversity.

This order was asked to be implemented within a year, but even after four years of the order, the use of one-time plastic has not been stopped. On the contrary, the use of single-use plastic has increased significantly across the country, including in coastal districts.

Due to the lack of supervision by the concerned authorities, the use of these plastics is not being reduced in any way. In addition, due to the lack of awareness of users, it is now considered a daily use product due to its usefulness and ease of availability.

If effective measures are not taken now, its severity will increase further. Environmentalists and experts say that the High Court has directed hotels, motels and restaurants in the coastal areas of the country to stop the use of single-use plastic products that become waste after one use. However, the Department of Environment has not taken appropriate action as per this directive, which has become a cause for concern day by day.

According to environmentalists, there is no reason why the Department of Environment cannot do what needs to be done to stop the use of single-use plastic. With the help of law enforcement agencies, they can easily monitor the situation on the ground and take action against those who are not following this order.

Environmentalists say that there is currently a law in the country banning 55-micron thick polythene bags, but it is not being implemented. Therefore, it is necessary to urgently form an 'Environmental Protection Police Force' and strictly implement the law made on the production, marketing and use of polythene. If the Department of Environment and other government agencies do not take initiative, then the environmental disaster will happen.

No strong initiative has been seen in the Department of Environment, Bagerhat, in this regard. And despite multiple attempts to contact the officials, they could not be reached at the office or phone.

Recently, plastic has been found in the bodies of fish in the coastal areas. These fish are being eaten by ordinary people. This plastic is entering the food chain through fish. As a result, not only is the fish being harmed, but the reproductive health of the fish is also being harmed.

Because when plastic enters the body of a fish, a change naturally occurs in its life process. As a result, the reproductive process of fish, fish reproduction, fish growth, everything is being damaged. Not only fish, but all other aquatic animals are suffering the same disaster.

As a result, an adverse reaction is increasing day by day in all the life of this coastal nature. 98 percent of the country's people use plastic products that are extremely harmful to the environment and human health, which is very worrying. If the use of these products cannot be controlled, the environment and human health as well as biodiversity will be threatened.