ANALYSIS OF THE HISTORICAL TREND OF ENVIRONMENTAL FINES FOR CURBING POLLUTION IN BANGLADESH

Abstract

Various industrial sectors of Bangladesh are growing rapidly and contributing to the economic development in recent years. Effluents and emissions of these factories pollute the surrounding environment repeatedly even though the Department of Environment (DoE) monitor the pollution standards and enforce strict compliance of the pollution control measures. An exploratory analysis was carried out on water pollution of Bangladesh focusing on the geographical representation of environmental fines, the difference of fines for the textile sector from fines of other sectors, the similarity of violations, and measures for repeat offenders. This study evaluated whether punitive measures were causing any changes in polluters’ behavior to comply with existing regulations and concluded that the environmental fines imposed by DoE were arbitrary. However, the data was sampled from newspaper-reported sources and may not represent the holistic nature of the problem. It is imperative to evaluate the enforcement measures, the number of fines of offenders, and the distribution of fines by analyzing authentic historical data from DoE for a significant period. The objectives of this empirical study are to analyze the current and historical trend of pollution fines, assess the deterrence created by fines, and determine the effectiveness of the Polluters Pay Principle (PPP) in Bangladesh. Data on fines from 2010 to 2018 was collected from the DoE. SPSS, a standard statistical software package, was used to prepare the database for conducting analysis. Standard descriptive statistics (mean, median, percentiles, and quartiles) were used to characterize the environmental fine data. t-tests were applied to assess the differences in fines between different groups (sectors, type of violation, etc). Analysis of means and variances for different groups were carried out to determine the disparities in levied fines. The historical trends of fines were assessed using time-series analysis. After performing the relevant statistical tests, analysis of the test results was carried out and presented in graphical and tabular form. Critical analysis and comparison with standards were carried out to provide policy guidelines. Data of fines vary significantly. A large difference was observed between mean and median, minimum and maximum fines along with their standard deviations indicating the arbitrariness of imposing fines. Industries like Textile and fabrics, Real estate and construction, Brick Kiln and Other Private organizations were fined maximum times (i.e. 78%). Industries of Dhaka Division have experienced the maximum cases of violations (79%) and therefore needs a separate enforcement strategy. Textile and non-textile factories were fined differently, but effective enforcement could not be achieved. Time series analysis for the type of factories and violation across the observation period projects an irregular pattern. Violations in subsequent years do not portray the effectiveness of the enforcement measures. There was no difference in fines for all types of repeat offenders. Therefore, deterrence could not be achieved. Modification of the traditional enforcement system or adoption of alternative regulatory strategies is needed. PPP is partially implemented in Bangladesh. Revision of traditional monitoring, enforcement systems and alternative regulatory strategies may be adopted. Frequent monitoring and enforcement strategy for Textile factories should be continued by DOE. Textiles industries must have functional ETPs. Repeat offenders should be penalized differently to achieve deterrence. PPP should be effectively applied in Bangladesh like other countries. Revision of policy guidelines and strengthening with required manpower will enable DoE to implement PPP effectively.