The all-weather Itna-Mithamoin-Austragram road is attracting growing number of tourists to the Haor, now a popular tourist destination, reports UNB.
It has also become a source of widespread littering by visitors who are mindlessly polluting the beautiful water body.
The vast expanse of water, which has turned into a hotspot for the enthusiasts, mainly the young people to spend quality time with friends and family members, has now been witnessing huge non-biodegradable waste thanks to lack of awareness among the visitors.
During recent visits to the haor road, visitors were found come they enjoy the splendour of the spot, were least bothered to protect the beauty and bio-diversity of the Haor.
The types of littering the haor-road face include dropping of plastic and other bottles, cans, cigarette butts, cigarette packets, papers, paper bags, waste from different food items, coconut shells, and tissue papers, as the visitors dump those here and there without considering any consequence.
Though now littering has become a big threat for this wonderful tourist spot due to the rush of travellers, no effective initiative to stop it is visible.
Some visitors said careless littering is harming the environment besides undermining the beauty and biodiversity.
Terming the Haor wetland as a sensitive zone, a regular traveller and broadcast journalist Shakil Hasan said, "Haor is the home of different species of fish, aquatic animals, and herbs. The environment of the haor is being ruined due to the indiscriminate dumping of garbage by the increasing number of insensible tourists. The food cycle of fish and aquatic animals is being disrupted too."
Besides, the pollution of water and the environment of the haor has created a shortage of food for the birds. The arrival of guest birds is decreasing day by day due to pollution and reckless movement of tourists, he also said. The tourist stressed controlling the pollution and limiting the movement of the tourists in order to keep the environment of haor healthy.
He also urged the government to take initiatives to ensure stopping the littering and advised tourists to be seriously aware of this issue.
Another visitor Nasimul Hasan said initiatives should be made to ensure proper monitoring and management issues to take care of the important project which is related to biodiversity.
Local fishermen said they are receiving more garbage after the opening of the road as tourists dump them in the water ignoring the adverse environmental impact.
Sharing some photos on littering on his Facebook profile Rezwan Ahmed Tawfiq, member of Parliament of Kishoreganj 4 constituency consisting of haor Upazilla- Itna, Mithamoin and Austragram, said that the massive development work being done under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, following the path of Bangabandhu's dream, has also stirred up the haor in this remote area. Nikli, Itna, Mithmoin, Austagram have become one of the tourist hotspots in Bangladesh which are receiving thousands of visitors coming from different parts of the country every day.
Saying haor as the beautiful part of Bangladesh, the national treasure and everyone's pride,' Rezwan Ahmed said it is the duty of all to maintain this invaluable resource and beauty of haor, conserve the aquatic natural environment, biodiversity and vitality of the haor. Therefore, the haor should be kept clean and free from any kind of pollution and environmentally harmful activities.
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