The land of Sreepur, besides Dhaka, is contaminated with polythene waste
Polythene waste is mixed with cropland in the Dokhla area of Sreepur Upazila, Gazipur. Polythene entirely covered the cropland of that area. Month after month after year, the local farmers are not getting any way out of this. It has stopped agricultural production on thousands of acres of land.
Only polyethylene and polythene are seen in the crop fields of Belaider Chala and Gilarchala villages of Ward No.9 of Sreepur Municipality and Beltali Indrabpur village of Mauna Union. This area is known as Dokhla.
The chemical water of various industrial establishments and all the area’s dirt, waste, and polythene flow to the croplands through different canals. Due to this, the farmers of this region cannot produce crops on the land. Several layers of polythene waste have accumulated on cropland.
Enamul Haque, a local farmer, said, “My four-and-a-half bigha (1 Bigha = 0.62 acres) agricultural land has stopped producing crops for five years. After planting, the paddy has a good yield potential, but it rotates and wastes completely within a few weeks. Therefore, crop production has been stopped.”
Alauddin, a farmer of Beltali village, said, “The condition of the land is far from rice; it is difficult to move through the land. There is nothing but polythene in the land.
Despite many agitations, we could not stop the polythene dumping in the canal. Polythene waste from canals is getting mixed with cropland. No crop is produced in any land of our village.”
Milon Mia, a farmer of Balaid Chala village, said that a large amount of polythene waste has accumulated on the agricultural land, forcing agricultural production to stop on thousands of acres of land in the region. Now no one is keeping an eye on the farming land of this region. It is also challenging to identify the boundaries of the market for polyethylene.
Md. Khorshed Alam, an Environmental worker, said, “We have been agitating for a long time to protect the agricultural land on the banks of Lablang Canal.
We have been trying with meetings-seminars, human bonds, location programs, and submitting memorandums to local administrations. But the authorities concerned did not do anything. We want the implementation of the World Environment Day slogan this year.”
“Today, crop production has been completely stopped due to the mixing of polluted chemical water and polythene waste from various factories in the agricultural land. If the administration wants, they can restore the agricultural production in my area,” said Khorshed Alam angrily.
Sumaiya Sultana Bonya, Agriculture Officer at Sreepur Upazila, said, “Agricultural production has stopped today in thousands of bighas of land. All the wastes of various industries and Upazila’s have mixed in the cropland through polythene canals.”
“Many more croplands are under threat. I have already visited the fields where crop production has stopped due to polythene. The concerned authorities have been informed to take action in this regard. If it can’t be possible to take the necessary steps now, it will threaten the agricultural production of this area,” she said to the press.
Md. Tariqul Islam, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Sreepur, said, “The administration is always trying to protect agricultural land. All measures will take to protect agriculture.” He also said that the dumping of dirt, waste, and polythene in the Lablang canal has already been stopped.
Nayan Mia, the Deputy Director of the Gazipur Environment Department, said, “The Department of Environment is always working to protect the environment. Legal action will take against the concerned Originations of illegally dumping polythene waste into the rivers, canals, and lakes.”
