18 transboundary rivers carry 15,345 tonnes of plastic waste daily: Study

Over 15,345 tonnes of single-use plastic waste falls into 18 transboundary rivers in Bangladesh daily, reveals a new study disclosed on Sunday.
Of the total, 2,519 tonnes come from India and 284 tonnes from Myanmar while the rest originate locally. And, 2.6 million tonnes of single-use plastic waste enters the Bay of Bengal yearly, said the study.
The study was conducted by Environment and Social Development Organization-ESDO in collaboration with the Plastic Solutions Fund and the Global Alliance of Incineration Alternatives (GAIA).
The organisations disclosed the study findings at a programme at a city hotel, aiming to increase regional collaboration for reducing transboundary movement of hazardous plastic waste and advocate with the government and regulators to advance policy decisions.
Unabated plastic pollution goes on in the aquatic process, especially through movement of the transboundary rivers, said the study team leader, Shahriar Hossain, at the event.
The baseline survey had been conducted through questionnaires from December 2020 to July 2022 and around 11,700 samples of single-use plastic waste were collected from transboundary streams and surrounding bank areas.
The transboundary rivers of Bangladesh which were assessed for this study are, in the case of upstream Mahananda, Dahuk, Karatoya, Tista, Dharla, Dudhkumar, Brahmaputra, Surma, Kushiyara; in the case of midstream Ganges, and in the case of downstream Ichamati-Kalindi,and Naf.
The event was chaired by Syed Marghub Murshed, chairperson of ESDO and a former secretary of the government.
"Our waterbodies have become a toxic pool of waste, contaminated by everything from drifting plastic packs to synthetic waste," he added.
Manjur Ahmed Chowdhury, chairman of the National River Conservation Commission, graced the event as the chief guest.
He said, "Bangladesh is called a riverine country. But its rivers are now under threat. This terrible single-use plastic waste, which never decomposes, is responsible for the destruction of our rivers. We are hopeful that our government will definitely take appropriate action in this regard."

nsrafsanju@gmail.com