Cox’s Bazar faces environmental crisis as waste contaminates sea

In the bustling tourist city of Cox's Bazar, over 500 hotels, motels, guesthouses and residential houses, along with numerous hatcheries, are discharging about 150 tonnes of waste annually into the sea due to the absence of a sewage treatment plant (STP).

The dire consequence of this unchecked pollution extends beyond the contaminated seawater, posing a grave threat to marine biodiversity.

Alarmed by the potential repercussions, tourism officials fear that tourists will be repelled by foul-smelling water, thereby jeopardising the government's ambitious plans for the tourism industry and leaving hundreds of thousands unemployed.

To tackle this urgent environmental crisis, stakeholders are demanding the immediate establishment of a central sewage treatment plant in Cox's Bazar, aimed at preserving the world's longest natural sea beach.

While the Cox's Bazar Development Authority says that efforts are underway to address the issue, the current reality remains bleak. Out of the 500 commercial hotels, motels, and guesthouses in the designated area, only a meagre six possess functioning sewage treatment plants.

Shockingly, waste management is virtually non-existent in the city's residential buildings.

During the monsoon season, the situation exacerbates as human waste and sand from hill cutting are haphazardly dumped into the sea, further contaminating the waters and gradually filling the ocean floor.

Despite the glaring evidence of man-made pollution, relevant authorities have failed to take effective measures for waste management. Consequently, the clamour for a central STP grows louder.

In a recent development, the Cox's Bazar Development Authority has dispatched letters to 134 hotels, motels, guesthouses and cottages, urgently seeking information on their progress towards implementing the sewage treatment.

The response to the letter revealed that only six hotels currently have an STP, while 39 hotels have three-chambered septic tanks. Regrettably, there has been no response from the remaining 89 hotels.

In light of this situation, consultations have been held with tourism stakeholders to devise a plan.

During these meetings, Engineer Khizir Khan expressed concern that around 150 tonnes of waste are being discharged into the sea annually, warning of potentially dire consequences if this continues unchecked.

Abu Sharif Md Mahbub-E-Kibria, senior scientific officer at the Bangladesh Oceanographic Research Institute and head of the Department of Environmental Oceanography and Climate, cautioned that sewage contamination, which led to the presence of 'E-coli' bacteria in Saint Martin's island, could have a greater impact in Cox's Bazar.

He said the consequences could manifest as skin diseases and dysentery. Besides, the presence of plastics, fishing nets, burnt oil, sandals and other waste in the seawater has the potential to turn it toxic, endangering marine life.

Fazlul Quader Chowdhury, president of Bangladesh Environment Movement (Bapa) Cox's Bazar, underscored the significance of tourists flocking to Cox's Bazar, home to the world's longest beach.

If the seawater remains polluted, he said tourists will be deterred from visiting, resulting in financial losses for tourism entrepreneurs and unemployment for those engaged in the industry. Businessmen must comprehend the gravity of the situation.

President of the Hotel-Motel-Guesthouse Owners' Association Abul Kasem said hotels and guesthouses occupy only 4-5 khatas of land, leaving no room for separate STPs. However, the association pledges full support if a central sewage treatment plant is established.

Md Raihan Uddin, the unit manager of the Tourism Corporation in Cox's Bazar, said that the topic of STPs was discussed during a meeting with the district administration. A committee, headed by the additional district magistrate, has been formed and once land becomes available, the implementation process will begin.

Commodore Mohammad Nurul Abshar, Chairman of Cox's Bazar Development Authority, said that apart from a handful of hotels, the majority of establishments in Cox's Bazar lack sewage treatment facilities. Acknowledging the significance of STPs, the authority has written to the ministry, underscoring the need for urgent action.

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