EVALUATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION IN BANGLADESH BY INLAND CARGO SHIP OPERATION

Abstract

Inland Water Transportation is still considered as the major transportation sector in Bangladesh. Over ten thousand of different types of registered vessels and thousands of unregistered vessels are plying in inland routes. This sector carries over 50% of cargo, 80% of fuel-oil and more than one quarter of all passenger traffic per year. River network has been regarded as safe and cost-effective route of the country, especially in the southern part. The fleet of cargo vessels has the static capacity of about 1,000,000 tons. The cargo fleet consists of 2,213 registered ships (2,043 cargo vessels and 170 bay crossing coasters) and make an average 3/4 trips per ship per month. This huge no of operations in inland route has made us vulnerable to significant marine pollution due to direct discharge of bilges, oily water mixture, solid waste and also the air pollution due to age old running engines/ machineries. In this paper, an approximate estimation of pollutants such as bilges, oily water and solid waste has been made followed by the air pollution. An environmental modelling has been done followed by the impacts of pollutants with the help of Eco Indicator 99 (I) of SimaPro. It has been revealed that there are considerable impacts of marine pollution for prolonged inland cargo vessel operation. The major consequences includes the climate change, destruction of fishing zone, respiratory problems of human being and the rise of sea level. At the end, few preventive measures have been suggested in light of design modification, regulatory enforcement to reduce the marine pollutions.