Environmentalists for clearer laws against pollution

Environmental specialists have called for amending environmental laws and ensuring their proper enforcement to protect the environment from pollution.

"The environmental laws lack clarity in terms of their content and fail to integrate the concept of power to be exercised with responsibility within them," said Sharif Jamil, coordinator of Waterkeepers Bangladesh, at a book launch ceremony in the capital on Tuesday.

"Despite having quite a good number of environmental laws, there remain challenges in implementing them, including, among others, lack of specificity, procedural complexities, lack of accountability, a partisan state machinery, and the absence of environmental consciousness among the common people," he pointed out while presiding over the event.

Waterkeepers Bangladesh Consortium organised the programme at the Supreme Court Bar Association auditorium to unveil the cover of the book titled "An Analysis of the Legislative Landscape and Court Orders on Air, Noise, and Water Pollution."

Syeda Nasrin, a Supreme Court lawyer, and Mohammad Golam Sarwar, an assistant professor of law at the University of Dhaka, have jointly written the book in association with Waterkeepers Bangladesh.

At the function, the experts also said people are doing whatever they want to the environment. As a result, they face natural calamities, the collapse of buildings and many other problems. It is necessary to solve those problems as soon as possible.

Considering the situation, new environmental laws can be passed or existing laws can be amended. In addition, successful foreign models can also be followed in this regard, they added.

Attorney General AM Amin Uddin said the government has formulated several laws to protect the environment. Now public awareness about them is very important.

"When people know of the impact of environmental pollution and when they understand the impact of pollution in their own life, they will not pollute the environment," he added.

The highest law officer of the state said the Supreme Court has played a vital role in protecting the environment.

He further said that more than a hundred verdicts, orders and directives have been passed by the apex court to save the environment and various government agencies are working to implement the orders.

Waterkeepers Bangladesh is a regional entity of Waterkeeper Alliance, which unites more than 300 water keeper organisations and affiliates that are on the frontlines of the global water crisis, patrolling and protecting more than 2.5 million square miles of rivers, lakes and coastal waterways on six continents.

"Our movement works for swimmable, drinkable and fishable waterways worldwide," notes the organisation, which is working in association with USAID and Counterpart International.

Professor Shima Zaman, dean of law at the University of Dhaka, was also present at the programme.