Environmental insecurity
Bangladesh has an approximate population of 3 million in a landmass extending over 150,000 square kilometer and is probably the most populous country in the world. Our economy is on down hill slide and poverty is on upswing as growth rate of GDP is lower than the actual growth rate of population resulting in a low level equilibrium trap. The resource we have is not only inadequate but also fast depleting. A greater percentage of our people live off the land and thus cause degradation of land, fresh water and marine resources. To top it all, our strides for development have paradoxically affected environments because of extensive use of fertilizers, undisrupted exploitation of nature and production of biogas. The cumulative impact of human activities of the nature mentioned above has caused among others: deforestation, topsoil erosion, acidification, depletion of ozone layer and loss of biological diversity. One apprehends that the "situation has become more pronounced with the onset of global climate change and environmentally induced conflicts are likely to intensify". Environmental degradation of such magnitude threatens human sustainability. The plants regenerative capacity is increasingly being taxed to limits. Deforestation, soil erosion, desertification, over exploitation and pollution of water resources undermine a few essential factors of human sustainability which are: the natural support system, reduced natural capacity of water and increase in the competition for normally renewable yet scarce resources. In Bangladesh, expanding human population is outstripping the carrying capacity of the local resource base. "Environmental degradation and resource depletion are triggering internal conflict and is likely to assume an ugly face as climate change is likely to exacerbate the situation". Therefore, the "task of strengthening the social, economic and environmental security of our people is as challenging as it is imperative." New security assumptions will be necessary to combat this appalling situation. To guard against breakdown of stability and distortion of social fabric, a new policy-"one focused on human security must take into account a complex web of social, economic and environmental factors". The local implication of environmental degradation can be observed from the way our economy is sliding. The devastating deluge demonstrated the urgency to address the cause of environmental degradation, which is regarded as chief reason for flooding. This year's flooding has a regional dimension over and above local negligence. All 54 rivers that run through Bangladesh are shared by India where we have virtually no control. Bangladesh is plagued by what M Abdul Hafiz and Nahid Islam termed "Paradox of water" as it receives too much water during monsoon and too little in the lean period which is between February and April. People were marooned and the flood deprived us of some 3 million tons of food grains. Heavy diversion of Ganges water by India after construction of Farakka barrage has caused siltation of the riverbeds and has decertified a large chunk of our arable land in northwestern Bangladesh, where paddy was grown in abundance. Ground water levels in many areas have dropped by 3 meters. Although an agreement has been signed between Bangladesh and India to ensure supply of water in an agreed formula during the lean period in December 1996, India is yet to honour the agreement in right earnest. On receiving complaints, India has assured to give us the agreed quantum of water in 'future years'. The water-induced effect on our people and economy is enormously negative and socially destabilizing. One would agree that this kind of posture would not augur well on India's global image and will distance her socially from our people. Whatever be the assurances, we have to prepare a tentative framework so that we are able to tide over any overture by any of the signatory of the water sharing agreement. The other serious challenge to our environmental security is high rate of population growth. It is apprehended that by early this century our 75 million population in 1971 will double. Bangladesh has failed to achieve material economic growth due to much impairment besides devastating yearly cyclones and periodical flooding, and the country is not endowed with nature's bounty. This has negated the development efforts of our successive governments. To meet the perennial shortages, a huge amount of money is allocated for import, reducing substantially the amount of investable surpluses. Periodical and flash flooding takes heavy toll of our economy, requiring more investment in this sector, which affects savings. 'All these factors retard our development by negating the capital formation and reducing substantially the per capita production in all sectors'. Recognizing the growth rate of population as number one national problem, it has been accorded the highest priority to arrest the growth process as an essential part of the development strategy that continues to be so till date. Our concerted effort to achieve the population growth rate of 1.5 percent remains a dream even now. Lower death rate because of provisioning of better health care facilities and higher growth rate of population has deterred the nation from achieving the magical figure of 1.5 percent. Causes of our failure in this sector are many which of course are surmountable provided that the NGOs are encouraged to allocate more funds and invest more efforts to educate the rural mass to adopt means to check the growth. If this problem is not addressed with greater national commitment, high growth rate of population will persist which will cast its perilous shadow on our near stagnant economy. The other concomitant effects of this unabated growth rate are: menacing unemployment situation, influx of population to urban areas in search of means of livelihood leaving barely enough persons to take care of our vital sector of production i.e. agriculture. Increased population generated problems like development of slum or shanties in the urban areas and increasing number of unemployed itinerants will cause imbalance of eco system and society. Additional pressure on our fragile eco system came in the form of increased cropping. As cultivation became necessary for feeding the increasing population, vegetation was cleared on a large scale. Massive clearing of vegetation, both for food and fuel, has started showing fatal consequence. "Depleted and denuded, the soil became unable to retain water sufficiently and erosion of top soil became inevitable adjunct of water flowing down." This is why Bangladesh, which is largely dependant on agriculture and primary commodities, is menacingly poised to face a much greater threat to her stability and integrity from environmental degradation. Although our social resilience and cohesion of social fabric is strong, denial and deprivation over the years due to governmental negligence have, of late, set in motion a murmur of resentment in slums and far flung areas. Bangladesh's economy is unlikely to withstand this additional stress as "we are already suffering from classical signs of under development such as poverty, unequal distribution of land and wealth, rapid population growth and huge foreign debt" Let us not forget the oft-repeated statement of the fatalist that disasters seek out the poor and ensure that they stay poor. So, while pondering over mapping a development strategy one should not lose sight of means of reducing the risk of environmental imbalance. This necessitates a comprehensive study to plan firstly to save a further biodegradation and finally to rehabilitate the vulnerables of environmental insecurity. Any flawed planning will exacerbate the factor of degradation and expose more and more people to poverty. Building non tangible assets, strengthening every day livelihood, planning based on local priorities, Raising awareness about the dire necessity to protect the environment of biodegradation and hectic political and diplomatic dialogue with the stake holding nations for evolving a mutually agreed agenda for cooperation are but a few suggestions that could be found handy for future planning. The author is a free lancer.
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