Integrated efforts of the government and non-government entities concerned has become an urgent need to prevent the land-based water pollution to protect the habitable environment from all sorts of hazardous condition.
In the present context of exorbitant use of chemical fertilizer and pesticides in farms, the issue of water pollution is being adjudged as a serious threat to the public health. The problem, however, can be mitigated to a greater extent through creating public awareness. The observation came at a daylong policy review workshop titled “Land Based Water Pollution” where government officials, academics, researchers, development activists and social workers put forward a set of recommendations on how to end the water pollution collectively.
Caritas Rajshahi region hosted the workshop at its conference hall in Rajshahi recently in association with its ‘South Asia Environmental Capacity Building – Agriculture and Water Pollution project’. The meeting was told that excessive and indiscriminate uses of toxic agro-chemicals generate different kinds of risks and trouble in water, soil and air.
Additional Director of Department of Agriculture Extension SM Mustafizur Rahman and its Deputy Director Shamsul Haque addressed the meeting as chief and special guests respectively with Sukleash George Costa, Regional Director of Caritas, in the chair.
Prof ANM Wahid from Department of Law in Rajshahi University (RU) was the keynote speaker while Prof Fahmida Chowdhury, Chairman of Department of Agronomy and Agriculture Extension in RU, and its department colleagues Prof Prof Mijanoor Rahman and Prof Gius Uddin Ahmed discussed on the issue. The experts viewed substantial and sustainable promotion of organic fertilizers and pesticide is very crucial for protecting the water resources and soil health from pollution for the sake of producing safe food. Using chemical fertilizers and pesticides in farming fields is always harmful to soil, water, crops, environment and public health as a whole. So, there is no way but to giving utmost importance towards promoting best practices in agriculture and fish and poultry farming widely. Prof Wahid mentioned that the pollution can be resisted through strict enforcement of the existing laws and regulations as land-based pollution involves a number of interrelated pressures.
He advocated for an integrated approach combining environment, pesticides and fertilizer authorities so that they can work together to mitigate water pollution caused by agriculture.
