Hundreds of people took oath in an awareness session in Khulna to prevent lead pollution
"Together, we can solve lead pollution" with this slogan hundreds of community people, local leaders, government and non-government representatives, police, and media reporters united in a community and stakeholder engagement event. On 5 April, this awareness session was jointly organized by the international NGO Pure Earth and the Department of Environmental Science, Khulna University in the Mohammadnagar area in Jalma Union, Batiaghata Upazila of Khulna District.
Bangladesh is the 4th most lead-impacted country in the world; of an estimated 36 million Bangladeshi children, approximately 60% have concentrations of lead in their blood that the World Health Organization recognizes as causing brain damage and IQ loss. In 2019, lead exposure resulted in more than 38,000 deaths (3.6% of all deaths) in Bangladesh. Illegally used lead-acid battery (ULAB) recycling factories are one of the major sources of lead pollution, reads a press release.
Pure Earth Toxic Site Identification Program has identified 300+ toxic sites, World Bank estimates 1100+ ULAB toxic sites in Bangladesh. One such lead-contaminated zone has been identified in Khulna's Mohammadnagar area where there was an open-air, unsafe, illegal lead-acid battery dismantling factory. Pure Earth and Khulna University have collaborated to start a clean-up program in the lead-contaminated area under the 'Protecting Every Child's Potential' project.
Supporting the project's intervention, the special guest of the event, Md Iqbal Hossain, Director, Department of Environment, Khulna said, "Bangladesh ranks fourth in the world in terms of lead pollution. This is very dangerous for us. We have dismantled many unsafe lead battery factories through mobile courts. The Department of Environment will provide full support to Pure Earth's lead remediation project in Khulna."
Dr. Mahfuzar Rahman, Country Director of Pure Earth said, "We want to see Khulna as a healthy city, so it is important to make it lead-free. We want no one to be left behind, not even a child with lead in their blood."
The press release added the speech of the chair of the program, Dr. Abdullah Harun Chowdhury, Professor and Head of Discipline, Department of Environmental Science, Khulna University said, "There is no alternative to raise awareness to prevent lead pollution. We should be aware of ourselves and make others aware. It is very important to make Bangladesh free of lead as it is very harmful to children and pregnant women."
The awareness session was held in collaboration with the Department of Environment, Khulna of the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), and Jalma Union Parishad. Other special guests of the event were Dr. Md. Atikul Islam, Professor, Environmental Science Discipline, Khulna University, Dr. Md. Monzurul Murshid, Director, Khulna District Health Office, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Sujat Ahmed, Civil Surgeon, Khulna.