Stress on research to find alternatives to plastic, polythene

Academicians and researchers at a programme stressed conducting research to find an alternative to plastic and polythene and mitigate damages as these are polluting the environment and affecting the marine biodiversity and ecosystem. 

Plastics are polluting the environment, reducing the fertility of the land and navigability of the rivers, and clogging the canals and drainage system, they said.  

"There is no scope for denial of plastic use in everyday life. But research is necessary to find an altrernative to reduce use of plastic and polythene," Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Rezaul Karim said told a roundtable discussion at a hotel in Chattogram on Monday, adding: the use of textile and jute bags should be increased to save the future generation.    

The roundtable discussion was organised by the SCIP Plastics Project team of the civil engineering department of Chattogram University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) under the 'Sustainable Capacity Building to Reduce Irreversible Pollution by Plastics' project to build awareness and exchange research findings.

SCIP Plastics Project is being conducted with support of  Germany's Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and the Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety Department of the environment ministry. 

University Grants Commission Member and Scientific Expert of the project Muhammad Alamgir and CUET Vice-Chancellor Mohammad Rafiqul Alam were present as the special guest.  

Muhammad Alamgr said that plastic, polythene and automobile wastes are harmful to the environment. "Polythene and plastic have been destroying our marine biodiversity along with making the drainage system of a city dysfunctional. The impact is enormous for a city like Chattogram," he said.   

CUET VC said that any research needs huge funding. Plastic and polythene have been affecting water quality and impacting the environment. The amount of plastic and polythene in the oceans and rivers has been increasing continuously posing a threat to the blue economy.