19-05-2022

ThurSday, may 19, 2022
4
Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam
e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com
Thursday, May 19, 2022
Saving and restoring
the environment
It is no overstatement to say that among the ministries of the
government, the performance of the environment ministry
has been specially lacking since it was set up in the late
eighties in response to the growing environmental hazards. The
environment of Bangladesh has gone on declining during the last
nearly three decades. But the ministry that was exclusively
created to address this worsening environmental situation
seemed to do little of substance as the environment steadily
deteriorated and environmental concerns multiplied and
intensified.
Dhaka city that was one of the world's most air polluted cities
in the past became the worst air polluted city in the world some
years ago. It may have improved its status for a while since that
time by pushing the worst air polluting autorickshaws away from
the metropolitan areas of Dhaka. But the air in the city still
remains heavily polluted by international comparisons in the
absence of other follow up measures.
Sections of rivers flowing around the big concentrations of
urban population of Bangladesh have turned so polluted from
unregulated discharge of effluents that these are like dark liquids
devoid of oxygen and aquatic life.
Biodiversity of large parts of Bangladesh have been threatened
by a number of man-made factors. One of them is the country's
overpopulation and its consequent impact on the environment.
But compared to the devastating population bomb that is
building up for this small country, the response to it appears to
be hardly a proportionate one against the threat.
Widespread presence of arsenic in underground water, the loss
of soil fertility from mono-cropping without crop rotation,
toxicity and loss of fertility of the soil from unregulated use of
pesticides and chemical fertilizers, are among the growingly
formidable environmental problems.
Deforestation has whittled down to below ten per cent the
country's forests and vegetation cover ; the country's basic
environmental balance has been threatened as a result.
Afforestation programmes may have had only a marginal impact
on these conditions. This is because deforestation activities are
considered to be greater than afforestation ones.
The coastal areas of the country need to be better supervised.
Foreign vessels dump their waste matters too freely in the coastal
areas and perhaps such vessels had dumped on occasions
cargoes of very hazardous wastes in Bangladesh's territorial
waters finding the same an unchallenged zone while indulging in
such activities.
There are many sides to the environmental crisis that is
gradually building up in Bangladesh. Many are in the making
from unregulated human activities within the country. But a very
serious threat to the environment of the country has external
origins. Bangladesh as a low lying country stands to be among
the few countries to be worst hit by the increase of greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere and the consequent earth warming
phenomenon. Although Bangladesh should have long ago started
an all out clamour to sensitize the international community to its
plight and sought adequate international compensation and
assistance to meet the nearing catastrophe, the leaders of this
country remained very surprisingly mum and unconcerned
about it for a long time. Only recently they have been showing a
greater concern .
The increasingly environment conscious people in the country
expect the government to take a hard look at the major
environmental problems at the soonest . If this is done, then
environment surely would be recognised as an area requiring
highest priority attention. The government will then need to
urgently get down to preparing a comprehensive environmental
policy including, most importantly, the ways and means to
enforce it.
The environmental decline has already much eroded the
quality of life in Bangladesh. If it goes on like this, without a
strong enough check and abatement, then this country could turn
into a poisonous hell hole with worse unclean air, water, soil and
surroundings where decent human existence and happiness
would be under a threat. Already such existence and happiness
has disappeared considerably from the life and living of
Bangladeshis in many places due to the stressful environment.
The environment related woes are likely to be worse and worse
and, finally the worst, without a policy to save and restore the
environment and its proper implementation.
What things the environmental policy must aim for are obvious
: it should set up a system for all polluters to be warned and
identified and made to suffer penalties for their unwillingness or
inability to adhere to the policy. For instance, it should make a
rule that all industries creating hazardous wastes must have a
waste treatment plant for treating such waste before discharging
them on soil, air or water bodies. Violators of the rule should have
the choice of either conforming strictly to the rule or closing
down operation.
Air pollution in the cities can be reduced by requiring
automotive vehicles to compulsorily use catalytic converters and
by fining or not allowing the movement of vehicles that do not
keep clean engines or exhaust systems. Air pollution can be also
reduced by compulsorily producing and distributing lead and
sulphur free fuel for vehicles.
Arsenic in underground water can be tackled by spreading the
know-how of inexpensive ways of filtering arsenic from the water.
Similar dissemination of information about the benefits of crop
rotation, regulated use of chemical fertlisers and natural pest
control, can work wonders in preserving the fertility of the soil or
preventing soil from becoming toxic. Even the passing of laws
and their enforcement need to be considered urgently to this end.
The environmental policy should lead to environmental laws to
protect and expand the country's forests and vegetation, to
protect and increase the number of its reserved forests, to protect
its bio-diversity, to promote environment friendly urban areas,
etc. Externally, under the environment policy, Bangladesh must
pursue a more strident and vocal role internationally to draw
attention to the plight of Bangladesh from the earth warming.
But the policy will remain ineffectual as long as it remains on
paper and is not enforced. For the environmental policy to be
fruitful, it must go the whole hog with the creation of apparatuses
such as the environmental courts, the environmental police, etc
and their efficient functioning.
The role of education in positive social change
Change is the
law of nature.
The rapid
growth
of
industrialization and
urbanization results
in change in social
setups, social
institutions as well as social patterns of
human life. As such the existing social
standards, social institutions and social
norms fail to meet human needs. Therefore
there arises a need for change in such social
elements. Such change will encourage
growth and development in the society.
There is no reason to escape from change;
rather we have to prepare ourselves to
survive in the changing scenario through
proper and quality education. Social change
may take place in different forms such as
economic change, political change, religious
change, scientific and technological change,
legal change, moral change etc. It is a
continuous process, where one change is
followed by another. Education is
considered as a major agency of
socialization. No social change can take
place without education. It initiates social
change by bringing about a change in the
outlook and attitude and patterns of social
relationships of an individual.
Education plays that role by imparting
knowledge about science & Technology, new
social patterns, social institutions,
modernization and other specialized
branches of knowledge. Remarkable
changes are brought by education in the
different aspects of an individual's life and
an individual is prepared to participate in
different social works and activities; so as to
make his contribution for the progress and
development of the society. The relationship
between education and society is thus
Troubled
by
economic woes,
Sri Lanka has
failed to repay 51
billion in foreign
debt. In this
situation, on 12 April,
Sri Lanka declared itself bankrupt.
According to the central bank, it is not
possible for Sri Lanka to repay any foreign
loan in the current situation. However, Sri
Lanka has a "perfect record" of debt
repayments in the past. The central bank
has said that the country's reserves need to
be maintained to keep imports of essential
materials like fuel. Lenders who have lent to
a company or country can foreclose on their
assets. This approach has been mentioned
in the case of interest collection. A state of
emergency has been declared in the wake of
the protests. During the strike, shops were
closed and public transport was also
stopped. The country of 22 million people
has suddenly come to a virtual standstill.
Since independence from Britain in 1948,
there has been a catastrophic shortage of
food and fuel, including record inflation and
blackouts. The Sri Lankan people have
stormed the homes of many government
officials in a fit of rage. Sri Lankans are
protesting on various issues like electricity,
fuel oil, emergency medicine, food crisis. All
26 ministers in the government have
resigned. Many people have been arrested
for causing unrest. Many of those arrested
said they had been tortured in police
custody. Opposition parties have already
rejected the president's offer to form a unity
government. The country has never been in
such a predicament since independence.
There are many reasons for such a
catastrophic situation in Sri Lanka; Which
has accumulated over many days. In
September 2021, President Gotabaya
declared an economic emergency in
Rajapaksa. According to the Central Bank of
Sri Lanka, they now have only 2 billion in
foreign exchange reserves. From the
country's debt, GDP has increased from 85
percent in 2019 to 104 percent in 2021. The
current shortage of foreign exchange has
made it extremely difficult to get supplies of
essential commodities including fuel,
electricity, paper, milk powder. The country
is facing hours of power outages every day,
and even printing of newsprint has stopped
due to lack of paper.
In March of this year, the general
inflation rate in the country was more than
17 percent. The food inflation rate was 30.2
percent. And this has created a terrible
situation in the Sri Lankan economy. The
mainstream media in Sri Lanka is reporting
that this is an ineffective administrative
measure that has led to the current crisis. In
such a situation in Sri Lanka, some
Western media are falsely claiming that it is
China's 'debt trap' that has plunged Sri
Lanka into an economic crisis. Sri Lankan
government figures show that the country's
debt structure is complex. Colombo
borrowed the most from the global capital
market, accounting for 47 percent of total
loans, followed by the Asian Development
Bank at 13 percent, Japan at 10 percent,
China at 10 percent, the World Bank at 9
GazI md. abdur raShId
mutual i.e, either education influences
changes in society or society in education.
But in both the cases education has a role to
play. Education plays an important role in
analyzing a change that takes place in the
society. As it provides knowledge to the
people regarding the nature and form of
change, the society can therefore decide
about the adaptation of a change. In the
absence of education they may not be able to
know about what is good or bad pertaining
to a change and will adopt without analyzing
pros and corns of each change.
In school children learn social skills
through interactions with teachers and
other students. They learn how to relate to
different personality types, to work through
disagreements, to problem-solve, and to
exercise self control. (Granted, not every
child learns all of these skills or develops
them at the same pace, and some children
may possess anti-social tendencies due to
influences in their lives which make them
resistant to socialization). Perhaps most
importantly, school reinforces the concept
that actions and choices have consequences.
All of these factors influence the social
development of the individual, thereby
increasing the likelihood that he or she will
become an agent for positive social change.
"Education is the most powerful weapon
which you can use to change the world." said
Nelson Mandela. Education is the medium
through which we can change the world. It
helps us to turn weakness into strength,
failure into success. It helps us in identifying
problems present around us in our society
and also helps us in searching for their
solutions. It helps us in increasing the
mental ability of a person which in turn
changes the way a person thinks. This
results in the change of pattern of social
In school children learn social skills through interactions with
teachers and other students. They learn how to relate to different
personality types, to work through disagreements, to problem-solve,
and to exercise self control.
percent and India at 2 percent. This proves
that the so-called 'debt trap' is not related to
any truth. This is a fabricated western trap
to confuse Sri Lankans and the
international community.
Over the past decade, Sri Lanka has
borrowed only 6 billion from China.
Sovereign bonds are another major source
of debt. In 2007, the government issued a
sovereign bond. Sovereign bonds are sold
when expenses exceed income. The bond
has a debt of 12.5 billion. The central bank
said it had repaid 2.5 million in foreign
loans. Sri Lanka paid 500 million rupee in
January this year. As a result, their reserves
are strained. Due to this the country is not
able to import oil and other essential
commodities. The government's various
luxury projects are also thought to have hit
the economy. In the last 15 years, Sri Lanka
has undertaken many mega projects on
seas and airports, roads and highways,
many of which have become a reality.
Colombo Port City is being built by rescuing
land from the sea near the capital Colombo.
The project is estimated to cost 1.5 billion
dollar. It will take 26 years to complete. The
Sri Lankan government is building the city
to compete with Dubai, Singapore and
Hong Kong. Sri Lanka is implementing this
project together with China. Sri Lanka has
borrowed from various sources for many
more such projects. Although many
projects are not profitable even after
spending huge amount of money.
After taking power in November 2019, the
then President of Sri Lanka decided to
reduce VAT and taxes. The rate of VAT has
been reduced from 15 percent to 8 percent.
The main reason for the reduction in VAT
was to stimulate the economy. Mahinda
Rajapaksa took a similar initiative after the
civil war in Sri Lanka in 2009. Due to which
the economy of the war-torn country gained
momentum. In that light, incumbent
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa took similar
steps to boost the economy. A few months
after this incident, the covid epidemic began
to have a negative impact. Reducing income
tax and VAT reduces government revenue
by up to 25 percent. The government has
had to borrow more from abroad to handle
the situation. Economic activity in the
country almost came to a standstill for two
years, with the thought that it would be
possible to turn around after the end of
covid. The decision to reduce taxes and VAT
was not revoked due to lack of foresight of
the government. As a result, Sri Lanka is
heading towards a tragic outcome. On the
other hand, Sri Lanka has to comply with
the obligation to repay the loan. Therefore,
the country as a whole is under severe
economic pressure.
Sri Lanka's tourism sector is a major
source of income for the country. The
relationship and hence, it may cause social
change. One of the main impetuses of
education is to change the attitude, thinking
and lifestyle of a person. While lived
experiences may not be formal education,
it's a form of hands-on learning that teaches
us the tools to care about one another,
cultivating a more curious and
compassionate community through: (1)
Gaining knowledge of other cultures, (2)
Participating in intercultural exchange, (3)
Seeing new ways of life, (4) Learning how to
communicate with different personalities,
(5) Considering other belief systems and
ways of life, (6) Self-reflecting on your own
beliefs and where they come from.
Formal education works in a similar way,
providing social lessons and teaching skills
that encourage the following: (a) Relating to
different people and building friendships,
(b) Identifying problems and coming up
with your own solutions, (c) Exercising selfcontrol,
both verbally and physically, (d)
Accepting that actions have consequences,
tourism sector has been shut down for two
years due to the corona virus infection.
According to a BBC report, more tourists
used to come from China before the
epidemic, but due to strict corona
restrictions in China, the flow of tourists
from there has completely stopped. Another
major channel for remittances is
remittances sent by Sri Lankan nationals
working abroad, with remittance inflows
severely hampered by the epidemic. Before
the corona virus epidemic, Sri Lanka had a
revenue of 12 billion from the tourism
sector. After coming to power in 2019,
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa introduced
organic farming in the country. The use of
chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the
country was completely stopped. On the
other hand, due to the ban on import of
fertilizers, the production of rice decreased
by 20 percent. Rice country Sri Lanka
imports 460 million worth of rice to meet
food shortages. The price of rice has
skyrocketed. Adverse effects of organic
farming policies also affect Sri Lankan tea
production. Earlier, Sri Lanka earned more
foreign exchange by exporting tea. The
government paid 200 million in
compensation to keep the sector alive as
production was disrupted. But even after
that, the suffering of the people in the food
shortage is evident all over the country.
In order to overcome the current crisis, Sri
Lanka needs foreign currency or foreign
borrowing at the moment. The country is
being approached by many, the list includes
China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. Sri
Lanka has devalued 15 per cent of its
currency to get a loan from the IMF. At
present one dollar is equal to 230 Sri Lankan
rupees; It has risen to 316 rupees. Their
import trade is stagnant. India has lent 1
billion to buy emergency food, medicine and
fuel during the Sri Lankan crisis.
Bangladesh stood by Sri Lanka with a 25
crore dollar 'currency swap' loan and
donated emergency medicines worth 20
crore taka as part of its assistance in the
wake of the ongoing crisis. Protesters in Sri
Lanka have staged a huge protest in front of
the building of President Gotabhaya
Rajapaksa. This demonstration of the
people is considered to be the result of the
collapse of his public support. When he
came to power, he promised development of
the country, development of economy and
firmly holding the helm of the country.
Promises were also made to make the
country a welfare state. Ordinary people are
protesting now as none of this has been
achieved. After taking power, Rajapaksa's
massive tax cuts and import bans have
further aggravated the current situation.
Critics say the main reason for the current
situation in Lanka is corruption and
nepotism. President Gotabha's brothers and
(e) Gaining a sense of responsibility and
civic duty, (f) Practicing thoughtful
leadership, (g) Asking questions about
things you don't understand, (h) Thinking
about the best ways to speak and listen.
Education plays an important role in
molding the structure of a society. The role
of education as an agent of social change is
widely recognized. The socialization of the
young generation and maintenance of
proper social order is among one of the main
functions of education.
Education modernizes the attitudes,
aspirations and outlook of individuals to a
great extend and helps in eradication of
social evils like caste system, untouchability,
dowry system etc. In this way the social
patterns of the people changes. There is no
discrimination of caste, colour or creed
when we travel in a passenger bus. By
bringing such changes in the society,
education helps in promotion of equality
and integration. In other words education
removes social evils and stabilizes
democratic values like equality, integrity,
freedom etc. Education brings about the
changes in the customs, traditions, social &
political institutions. It makes these
institutions capable of addressing the
current needs of the society. The obsolete
customs and blind traditions are replaced by
modern thoughts. Social evils like female
infanticide are eradicated from the society
by educating people through public
awareness programs with the help of
electronic and print media. Education plays
a predominant role in bringing about social
changes. We may say it is a passport to social
change. Without education the knowledge
of social changes can't be gathered and will
thus hamper the process of social change.
The Writer is Research Officer, District
Education Office (Secondary), Munshiganj
Sri Lanka's Economic Crisis and Bangladesh’s Position
Nayeem ISLam NIbIr
Over the past decade, Sri Lanka has borrowed only 6 billion from
China. Sovereign bonds are another major source of debt. In 2007, the
government issued a sovereign bond. Sovereign bonds are sold when
expenses exceed income. The bond has a debt of 12.5 billion.
nephews are in important ministries of the
country. His brother Mahinda Rajapaksa,
who had previously served two terms as
president, resigned on May 9. They also
have relatives in other important
organizations. Despite the power crisis in
the country, uninterrupted power supply to
their families continues. The grandeur of the
Rajapaksa family has also raised the level of
public outrage. The current dire situation is
actually a cloud of accumulated black clouds
of the situation that has developed over the
decades, with no one to take responsibility
alone. Analysts blame leadership for
mismanagement. The issue of coming to
power in 2019 is also being claimed as
incompetence, arrogance and corruption.
Short and long term plans are needed to
get out of here. Exports and foreign
investment must be increased. The revenue
sector has to be streamlined and come out
of unnecessary and luxurious projects. The
reduction in VAT and income tax should
have been withdrawn as the economy
became more active in the aftermath of
covid. The Sri Lankan government could
have used India's experience in organic
farming. In India, the Modi government
has not introduced organic farming in all
the provinces. Sikkim is the first state in
India where organic farming is legalized. As
a result, experience with the 'error and trial'
approach has led to similar decisions in
other provinces. But at the moment, there
is no magic way for Sri Lanka to get out of
the mountain of foreign debt. It may be
solved slowly.
Critics say allegations of incompetent
government administration, false election
promises and parasitic theft of public
property have been leveled against the
political leadership; It is now being
witnessed that people are taking to the
streets to demand their resignation. The
government is trying to control the
situation with tear gas, water cannons and
curfew. It is a matter of analysis as to
whether the move will improve the
situation or worsen it. But if we fail to take
proper action, the country will fall into
anarchy and become hell. The country has
a constitution that everyone must abide
by; Otherwise the situation of Sri Lankans
could be dire. The revolutionary
government will not have any magic
formula. Contrary to the current situation
in Sri Lanka, minimum governance is not
seen as a remedy. During this crisis, I have
seen in Parliament that the people's
mental anguish is being aroused only by
constantly fighting against the previous
wrongdoings of their predecessors.
Everyone is trying to fish in muddy
waters. The people of Lanka are educated
and have a good knowledge of the modern
world. It remains to be seen how the
current parliament can cope with the
growing public outcry.
Nayeem Islam Nibir is a young
generation political leader and columnist
in Bangladesh. He can be reached :
nayemulislamnayem148@gmail.com