TOXIC WASTE IN HAOR: TK 5,081 CRORE DAMAGE
Dhaka experts conceal truth, Indians confirm hazardous pollution
Karar M Hasan, Iqbal Siddiquee, H R Chowdhury and
MM Ali
IRONICALLY the so-called Bangladeshi experts/scientists – who are prone at times to dancing to their master’s tune – have seemingly concealed the facts about toxic waste from Indian coal mines in trans-boundary rivers that severely damaged agriculture of this country this year in the north-eastern districts; on the contrary Indian scientists revealed the truth two years ago.
In 2015, the report of the Indian Central Pollution Control Board identified water of 38 rivers of Meghalaya and Assam hazardous.
The formation of ammonia gas from ‘rotten green paddy’ was identified as the reason for ‘depletion of oxygen level in the water’ and subsequent deaths of fishes, livestock and cattle in the ‘haor’ (wetland ecosystem) regions of Bangladesh, that started on March 27, at least two weeks ahead of its expected time.
Hundreds of tons of fishes died and thousands of tons of paddy were destroyed and cattle and livestock were lost in the haor region as ‘oxygen level in water fell due to formation of ammonia gas’, created by ‘rotten green paddy’, the government said. Since the paddy was not ripe and had remained submerged under water so it started rotting, the officials justified.
A careful examination of the government statement reveals that the green paddy remained under water for a longer period so it started rotting on its own and led to ‘formation of ammonia’ and ‘depletion of oxygen’, and caused the havoc, i.e., loss of crop, death of livestock, cattle and fish. Livestock and cattle die in floods, but the death of fish in such huge volume was never heard of earlier. According to a survey the damage caused to Bangladesh agriculture is to the tune of Taka 5,081 crore (US $620 million).
The theory negated
The theory of ‘formation of ammonia’ from ‘rotten green paddy’ and ‘depletion of oxygen’, as the reason for the devastation, however, does not fit in all the haor districts since no death of fishes was reported from the two haor districts—-Kishorganj and Habiganj.
Is the flash flood this year different from those in the past? Before we probe into it further let us first take a general view of people who live on the banks of haors for generations. Suffering loss of crop from flash flood almost every year is not new for them, but loss of crop this year does not match their past experiences.
Loss of fish in flood was never heard of, even to those who are now octogenarian.
A bad smell began floating in the air within a few days of the onrush of flood water and the stink persisted for a few weeks, which added a different dimension to it. The flood came earlier this year and the colour of its water this year was also different from those in the past, some victims living around the haors observed.
Considering the views of haor dwellers on one side and official theory that propounds - ‘formation of ammonia’ from ‘rotten green paddy’ and ‘depletion of oxygen’ as the reason for loss of crop, death of livestock, cattle and fish - on the other, one may ask the following questions.
Did the government receive any early flood warning forecast from India? Assuming that ‘formation of ammonia’ from ‘rotten green paddy’ and ‘depletion of oxygen’ caused huge loss of crop and fish in the haor region, one may ask why did not a single fish die in Kishorganj and Habiganj the two other haor districts that also lost ‘green paddy’?
When scientists dance to their master’s tune
The highest losses of 119 MT of fish were reported in Netrokona, while fish losses in Sunamganj, Moulvi Bazar and Sylhet were respectively 49.75 MT, 25 MT and 21 MT.
Netrokona’s loss of fish was more than the losses suffered in all other districts put together.
Question arises why officials and scientists flocked to Sunamganj and Sylhet instead of Netrokona, which suffered the highest fish casualties?
Was the government unnerved following a report in an English language newspaper that linked the death of fishes in Sunamganj to those from across the border allegedly
caused by uranium poisoning?Whether the government was unnerved or panic stricken may be assessed from the visits of officials and coverage on flash floods prior to the daily’s report and in its aftermath.
The way scientists and academics were posing before camera lenses and talking about the test results of water samples of the affected haors gives rise to another question whether the government at all has any mechanism to assess the water quality of trans-boundary rivers to identify potential problems before it poses serious adverse health effects.
The parameters for water quality assessment and monitoring include:
pH, temperature, conductivity, salinity and dissolved oxygen. Further tests may also be done for nitrates, iron, hardness, bacteria and benthic organism.
Had there been any facility for water quality test of trans-boundary rivers at entry points then the government could have released its findings when the English language daily published its report.
Academics and scientists who flocked to Sylhet and Sunamganj also could have asked for water quality reports of trans-boundary rivers at their entry points.
Water quality reports of trans-boundary rivers at entry points and those of water bodies inside Bangladesh prior to the death of fishes and after the deaths should be compared and made public. Otherwise the theory of ‘formation of ammonia’ from ‘rotten green paddy’ and ‘depletion of oxygen’ – causing huge loss of crop and fish in the haor region will be challenged not on grounds of its authenticity only but also regarding the intention of those who propounded it.
AMD carried by trans-boundary rivers
Earlier it was pointed out that the above mentioned theory does not fit in in case of Habiganj and Kishorganj —-the two haor districts that lost crops but reported no fish casualty.
In case of Habiganj, its three trans-boundary rivers —- Khowai, Sonai and Sutang—-neither originate nor flow through any coal mining region. There is no report of direct discharge of mine effluent AMD (Acid Mine Drainage) in any of those rivers. Besides, Kishorganj does not receive water directly from any trans-boundary river.
Volumes of researches conducted in Europe, America, Australia, Africa and in parts of Asia reveal that acidity of AMD contaminated water weakens, when acidic water starts mixing with fresh water and crosses longer distance from its source.
This again depends on a number of factors like – the level of AMD contamination at the source, the speed at which it crosses a certain distance, the volume of fresh water it mixes with and so on.
In case of Kishorganj and Habiganj, the AMD contaminated water of trans-boundary rivers crossed a longer distance before entering the districts. Acidity in the water reduced as it moved further downstream. Devastating other districts, the AMD water when entered Kishorganj and Habiganj it could destroy crop only but lost its strength to harm the fish population.
Were the facts concealed?
Handling of the AMD issue and its direct discharge into the trans-boundary rivers that resulted in the devastation of the haor basin brings into light two questions :–
(i) Was not the government at all aware of the matter?
(ii) Was it an attempt from any quarter to conceal facts related to direct discharge of AMD into trans-boundary rivers from people of Bangladesh who have been bearing its brunt for almost a decade?
Loss of homestead and cultivable land in Sunamganj under the effluent of ‘mine drainage’ and filling up of haors with ‘voluminous amount of granules and sediments from across the border’ were reported in the newspapers during the past several years.
Reports also claim ‘government is aware’ of the ‘environmental threats’ the country faces due to ‘unplanned mining activities across the border’. ‘Filling of cultivable land by the mine discharge’ was raised between the two countries reports reveal quoting official documents. According to these reports Bangladesh also urged its neighbour ‘to stop such activity detrimental to the interest of its people, environment and ecology’.
Indians confirm AMD pollution
What was more surprising in the event of flash floods in the haor region was the approach of the Bangladeshi scientists and scholars who were shying away from admitting facts which their Indian counterparts had conceded to long ago. In their articles and scientific papers published in journals and discussed in seminars, the Indian scientists and scholars admitted the fact that most of the ‘rivers and streams’ from Meghalaya that flow towards ‘
‘south-east into the floodplains of Bangladesh is badly affected by contamination of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)’’.
Even the 2015 report of central pollution control board of the Indian government under the ministry of environment, forest and climate change identified ‘water quality criteria limit’ for 10 out of 19 rivers of Meghalaya and 28 rivers of Assam ‘exceeds’ the permissible limit.
We feel, direct discharge of AMD into the trans-boundary rivers of whole coal mining’ in the north eastern state of Meghalaya for over Northeast India and Bangladesh as pointed out by Indian researchers and academics contributed to the huge losses of fish and crops in some haor districts during the flash floods of 2017. Indian scientists identified ‘certain stretches’ of some trans -boundary rivers had been ‘devoid of fish’ due to ‘high toxicity’ of its water, resulting from direct discharge of AMD into water bodies in coal mining areas.
Studying the ‘unscientific’ and ‘illegal’ mining, particularly ‘at least three decades, they also documented its fall out on environment and ecology. As a result media personnel, environmentalist groups and student organizations also have been raising their concern over these issues for the past several years.
AMD dumping: No fish in Meghalay
Netrokona river Someshwari is known as Simsang River in Meghalaya. Simsang, a major river in the coal mining areas of Garo Hills, poses ‘severe threats to the aquatic biota’ owing to ‘discharge of AMD directly into the river’ and ‘dumping of coal for auction on its bank’, according to a study conducted over a period of six years period.
Due to ‘excessive accumulation of AMD’, the Simsang that divides the Garo Hills into two parts – East Garo Hills district and South Garo Hills district before entering Bangladesh – ‘is devoid of any aquatic organism in some areas of the river,’ the report said.
The Simsang, an important tourist mark, ‘‘is under severe pollution threat’’, said the study titled Impact of Open Cast Coal Mining on Fish and Fisheries of the Simsang River, Meghalaya, India. The study conducted over a period of six years prepared by Bandita Talukdar, Jugabrat Das et al pointed out that there has neither been any ‘‘systematic study on the coal mine pollution load’’ on the river nor has there been any impact analysis on its ‘‘aquatic species’’.
The study conducted during 2009 and 2015 along the ‘entire stretch’ of Simsang River covered ‘an area of about 290 km2’. Six study sites selected along its banks were: ‘Nokrek Biosphere Reserve’ and ‘Romagre’, away from coal mining activities; Williamnagar, a regular coal dumping site; Nangalbibra, having most of the coal mining activity in the vicinity of its hills; Siju, has coal mining around it too; and Baghmara, transports coal by boats regularly.
Another study entitled “Acid Mine Drainage, a potential threat to fish fauna of the Simsang River, Meghalaya, reveals more than 100km stretch’’ of the Simsang is ‘severely affected due to coal mining’.
‘While passing through Nongal Bibra, a small town in the East Garo Hill’, the river, according to the study ‘receives a large amount of AMD’. Pointing out the ‘fish faunal diversity; the river was ‘once well known for’ has now ‘declined over the years due to indiscriminate coal mining’.
The study jointly conducted by Sumanta Kumar Mallik, Debajit Sarma, Dandadhar Sarma and Neetu Shahi was published in the Current Science, Vol. 109, No. 6884, 25 August 2015.
Of the four sampling sites of the study ‘William Nagar’, in the upstream of river simsang, ‘is away from the coal-mining areas’ while the other sites - ‘Bagmora’, “Nongla Bibra and Sijue’ - were used as ‘AMD receiving points’ the study said noting, ‘coal excavation’ was also carried out in the last two river banks in the downstream.
Samples of the study were collected during august 2013 to December 2014, the research said adding ‘at Nongal Bibra the fish fauna was completely absent’. At this site the ‘pH was very low (<3.0)’, the study said adding that at ‘Nongal Bibra, the metal concentrations were equal to or greater than the levels usually considered toxic to most of the fish species’.
Findings of the study reveal ‘low species diversity’ in Simsang River that provides evidence of its conditions to be ‘stressful and toxic’.
Karar M Hasan, a former secretary to the government, Iqbal Siddiquee, HR Chowdhury are Sylhet-based and MM Ali is a freelance journalist
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