Land-Based Marine Pollution: An Emerging Threat to Bangladesh

Abstract

Bangladesh is a densely populated coastal country in South Asia. The country has enormous resources in the coastal and marine environment of the northern Bay of Bengal. After the final settlement with India, Bangladesh has had an independent ocean boundary since 2014, but the country has no national policy to protect the environment from marine pollution. The chapter explores the applications of protection and prevention of the marine environment in Bangladesh from land-based marine pollution (LMP) as land-based sources have become the emerging threat to the Bay of Bengal in respect of marine pollution. Several relevant national laws and policies have been analyzed to examine the problems of LMP control in Bangladesh. This chapter also identifies the sources and effects of land-based pollutants, including the analysis of national activities, action plans, and management strategies to discover the challenges and gaps of the present regime for LMP control in Bangladesh. Finally, the chapter suggested a comprehensive approach to establishing national legislation to control LMP in Bangladesh by implementing the national and regional strategy.