Fish or chemical pesticides?
Thursday, 21 January 2010
Traditionally known for its rich fish variety, Bangladesh now has no more than 250 species, down from over 500. The rest are extinct. Fish supply is fast shrinking. The main reason is the pollution of water bodies caused by pesticides and insecticides, washed from the crop fields.
The poisonous chemicals prove fatal for fish. Immediate and stringent action is needed to ensure that pesticides and insecticides used can in no way get into the water bodies, the natural fish breeding grounds. It would be even better to ban the use of chemical pesticides and insecticides. Farmers in many countries protect crops without using insecticides and pesticides. The methods should be encouraged in Bangladesh. A law in place with strict enforcement could cut the use of chemical insecticides and pesticides drastically. Awareness campaign would make people more conscious about the adverse effects of harmful chemical pesticides.
Ehsanul Haque
Mohammadpur, Dhaka
The poisonous chemicals prove fatal for fish. Immediate and stringent action is needed to ensure that pesticides and insecticides used can in no way get into the water bodies, the natural fish breeding grounds. It would be even better to ban the use of chemical pesticides and insecticides. Farmers in many countries protect crops without using insecticides and pesticides. The methods should be encouraged in Bangladesh. A law in place with strict enforcement could cut the use of chemical insecticides and pesticides drastically. Awareness campaign would make people more conscious about the adverse effects of harmful chemical pesticides.
Ehsanul Haque
Mohammadpur, Dhaka