DDT powder imported from Pakistan to be destroyed after 3 decades
Bangladesh
The government has taken steps to destroy 500 tonnes of Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) powder imported from Pakistan for mosquito control 37 years ago.
The DDT powder will be destroyed after taking it to France under the supervision of the United Nations under the "Pesticide Risk Reduction in Bangladesh" project.
Farid Ahmed, director of the Department of Environment, is the director of the project.
According to sources, 500 tonnes of DDT powder worth Tk3.59 crore was imported from Pakistan in 1985 to kill mosquitoes carrying the malaria virus. But the toxic chemical was banned in Bangladesh along with other countries of the world in 1989 as it is harmful to human body, biodiversity and environment.
Farid Ahmed said, "The powder was kept in the warehouse since the ban. But during the cyclone and tidal wave in 1991, the warehouse was flooded and some chemicals were washed away. We are going to destroy the rest of the DDT powder now."
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