PUBLIC AWARENESS ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: …

1 CDRB Publication Asian Affairs, Vol. 30, No. 2 : 30-56, April-June, 2008 PUBLIC AWARENESS ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: PERSPECTIVE BANGLADESH NAZNIN ISLAM Abstract Bangladesh will face serious ENVIRONMENTAL problems in near future. The ENVIRONMENTAL condition is degrading day after day. ENVIRONMENTAL degradation threatens all development endeavors. In the context of developing economics Bangladesh to faces a wide array of ENVIRONMENTAL problems which affect the well-being of its citizens. Bangladesh government, NGOs and civil society has taken some policies and programs to control the ENVIRONMENTAL problems but these efforts are not fruitful. Lack of citizen s response is cause of failure (Mahjabeen, 2002: 32).

2 Individual citizen response is essential for all development activities especially ENVIRONMENTAL activities. If the fruits of plans have to reach the common man, it will essential to ensure that at every stage of planning and implementation there is full participation of the citizens. Citizen s response to various ENVIRONMENTAL issues such as air and water need to be properly studied and known. Findings of this study revealed that the level of understanding AWARENESS and participation of the respondents are low. Along with many other recommendations, respondents put stress on acquiring ENVIRONMENTAL information and tree plantation to overcome this situation.

3 Introduction Deterioration in the overall ENVIRONMENTAL conditions has become the major concerns of policy issues (Planning Commission, 1997). The principal areas and causes of ENVIRONMENTAL degradation have been identified in a number of recent studies, profiles and assessments (MoFE, 1991). Although ENVIRONMENTAL concerns are increasingly reflected in sectoral policies, PUBLIC AWARENESS of ENVIRONMENTAL issues and individual responsibilities are poor in both urban and individual societies. Perceptions of ENVIRONMENTAL impacts ( susceptibility to noise pollution and flood hazards) are different in Bangladesh than Copyright CDRB, ISSN 0254-4199 PUBLIC AWARENESS elsewhere and vary significantly among different segments of the population ( with regard to land encroachment, soil degradation , and loss of biodiversity).

4 People frequently accept a highly degraded environment in either a fatalistic manner or they blame government agencies. Widely shared views are that a single person cannot contribute to solving ENVIRONMENTAL problems, and poor governance and accountability are counterproductive to any initiative (Asian Development Bank, 2000: 21). There is a need to make the PUBLIC aware of the ENVIRONMENTAL issues of the country, their consequences, and the actions that have to be taken to address these issues (Ambrose and Ali, 1995:29). Many ENVIRONMENTAL problems and their consequences are as a result of ignorance. People, including decision makers in government, the industrial sector, and rural landowners and managers are not aware of the full ENVIRONMENTAL consequences of their actions (Ambrose and Ali, 1995:34).

5 This does much to exacerbate the process of ENVIRONMENTAL degradation in the country. So an ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS drive is urgently needed. Objectives of the study Objective of the study is to find out and examine the level of AWARENESS of citizens ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL problems. For better understanding researcher has also made an attempt to find out and examine the level of understanding of the people ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL problems and level of participation in different activities to reduce ENVIRONMENTAL problems. The study area For the present study, katakhaly Pourashava has been chosen (Pourashava in Rajshahi district consists of small industries and agriculture field).

6 The study area has 9 words. It has 45,000 thousands people. Methodology For the present study 50 respondents from different groups (professionals, women, rural people/peasants, and local leader/elite) were surveyed in the study area with questionnaires. Random sampling was used to select respondents. Understanding, AWARENESS and participation are related terms. To find out the level of AWARENESS of the respondents, knowledge of understanding ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL problems and pattern of participation is important. So data has been presented under three headings. 31 ASIAN AFFAIRS Understanding ENVIRONMENTAL problems (air pollution, water pollution, deforestation, noise pollution etc.)

7 Are causes of ENVIRONMENTAL degradation . ENVIRONMENTAL degradation refers to the deterioration in its physical component brought by human activities to such an extent that it cannot be set right by the self regulatory mechanism or homeostic mechanism of the environment. Following tables reveal their understanding ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL problems. Respondents were asked, is our environment degrading day by day? 100% respondents answered in the affirmative. Table 2 Opinion ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL degradation Types of respondents Number of respondents Yes No Professional 10 10 - Women 10 10 - Rural people/Peasant 10 10 - Local leader/elite 10 10 - Others 10 10 - Total 50

8 50 - In answering the question what are the reasons of ENVIRONMENTAL degradation ? 34% mentioned air pollution, 30% revealed water pollution, and 14% viewed sound pollution. Deforestation was expressed by 12%. Loss of biodiversity (8%) and depletion of ozone layer (2%) were also stressed. Table-3 Types of problems Respondents Types of problems Number % Air pollution 17 34 Water pollution 15 30 Sound pollution 7 14 Deforestation 6 12 Loss of biodiversity 4 8 Depletion of ozone layer 1 2 32 PUBLIC AWARENESS Air pollution Citizens were asked why they consider air pollution as main ENVIRONMENTAL problem.

9 A number of reasons were shown: impact of air pollution is great ( ), air pollution is invisible ( ), fuel oil is used more for development purpose ( ), people are not aware of air pollution ( ), conflict between air pollution and personal interest( ), it is hard to avoid air pollution ( ), lack of use of environment friendly energy ( ), air pollution influence total environment ( ), chief availability of air polluting energy ( ). Table-4 Reasons for mentioning air pollution as main problem Respondents Reasons Number % Impact of air pollution is great 8 Air pollution is invisible 7 Fuel oil is used more for development purpose 4 People are not aware of air pollution 8 Conflict between air pollution and personal interest 3 It is hard to avoid air pollution 2 Lack of use of environment friendly energy 4 Air pollution influence total environment 1 Chief availability of air polluting energy 6 Impact of air pollution include

10 Asthma ( ), cancer and lung disease ( ), blood become poisonous ( ), vertigo ( ), vomiting tendency ( ), child mortality ( ), tiredness ( ), irritation ( ) etc. 33 ASIAN AFFAIRS Table 5 Impact of air pollution Respondents Number % Impacts Asthma 5 Cancer and Lung disease 7 Blood become poisonous 8 Vertigo 6 Vomiting tendency 3 Child mortality 4 Tiredness 4 Irritation 2 What are the factors responsible for air pollution? They viewed smoke of industries ( ), smoke of cooker ( ), smoke of vehicle ( ), pesticides ( ), dust ( ), open waste ( ), bad smell ( ), and use of diesel as fuel ( ).