On the occasion of Bengali New Year celebrations, the longest Alpana in the history of the country has been painted on the ‘Allweather’ street of Ashtagram Haor in Kishoreganj. The Department of Environment has opined that the color of this 14 km stretch from Mithamain Zero Point to Ashtagram Zero Point can cause serious damage to the aquatic ecosystem of Haor. In such a situation, they recommended removal of this paint on an urgent basis and in an environmentally friendly process.
The Environment Department alleged that prior to the drawing of Alpana, not only the Environment Department, but also the Roads and Public Ways (SOAZ) department under which the road was laid, had not taken permission. Even without informing the local administration, three private institutions have done this celebration of Baisakh.
Last Sunday, Department of Environment, Kishoreganj inspected the site and submitted a report. According to the report signed by Assistant Director Abdullah Al Mateen, the final discharge point of these colors in Alpana is the water of Haor as the road runs through the middle of Haor. The dried paint coating, which is frozen by the heat of the sun, rain and the friction of vehicle wheels, will break down into small particles or fine dust and fall to the haor land and mix with the soil, which will then be mixed with the haor water during the full monsoon. As the water in the haor flows with the speed of the wind, the small particles of color will constantly mix with the water in an insoluble state and will spoil the clarity of the water. As the sunlight cannot reach the depth of the water, the aquatic ecosystem will face a serious disaster. The report recommends speedy removal of road paint in any environmentally friendly manner to protect the environment.
Meanwhile, Syeda Masuma Khanom, director of natural resources management of the Department of Environment, told Kalbela that the report has not yet reached him.
Berger Paints, Banglalink Digital Communication and Asiatic Experiential Marketing Limited implemented the world’s longest Alpana painting project on Hower Road. On April 12, former culture minister Asaduzzaman Noor inaugurated the Alpana drawing.
Alamgir Kabir, general secretary of Bangladesh Environment Movement (Bapa), told Kalbela that he agrees with the matter mentioned in the report. The final destination of the street color is Haor Pani. So the chemical in the color is definitely harmful to the ecology of the haor. May cause loss of mother fish during the coming fish breeding season. I will applaud if the recommendation to remove the color is implemented.
