The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

Rapidly expanding population associated with a high demand for food and fuel, decreasing cropland and increasing salinity and expanding aquaculture emerged as invariable impediments to the management of the coastal zones of the country by protecting their ecology.

Unplanned harvesting of timber and fuel is also causing severe puzzle for coastal villages and mangrove forest causing difficulties to sustainable development of the coastal zones.

In the backdrop of that situation, a senior professor of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) has developed a computer model to assist the policy planners to design an integrated and sustainable management system for the coastal zones.

The computer model will help the planners to measure the equilibrium between food security (FS) and environmental degradation in the coastal areas prior to take any coastal management plan, Professor BK Bala of BAU and author of the model told BSS.

Prof. Bala, a noted agriculture scientist and former Dean of the Farm Power and Machinery Department of BAU, said population is expected to increase from 36.8 million in 2001 to 60.8 million by 2050 in the coastal zones, intensifying demand for foods and fuels and putting pressure on ecological system.

Bangladesh's coastal zone is constituted with 32 percent of total land of the country, containing 28 per cent of total population. Forty-eight upazilas in 12 districts are exposed to coast and 99 upazilas of 17 districts have interior coast.

Out of 2.85 million hectares of coastal cultivable land about 1.0 million hectares are affected by salinity. Drainage and seepage from shrimp aquacultural pond are increasing salinity in the land and water, he said.

Shrimp cultivation areas in Bangladesh expanded from 51,812 hectares in 1983 to 1,41,353 hectares in 2002 causing environmental degradation in the coastal zones. The expansion of shrimp farming has resulted in decrease in crop production and many environmental problems.

Prof. Bala said forests play an important role in maintaining ecological systems in balance. These forests are also the largest carbon-sink above the soil. But, the Sunderbans, largest mangrove forest in world, is decreasing because of unplanned and illegal cutting of trees for timber and fuel. The problem seriously aggravated by the recent devastating cyclone Sidr.

He said the computer model has been developed based on a recent study on present status of food security, food self-sufficiency ratio, contributions of crop production and aquaculture to food security, and ecological footprint in nine upazilas of the coastal zones.

The study, he said, showed that of the nine upazilas, food security is best in Kalapara, modest at Dacop, Koyra, Mongla, Patharghata, and Galachipa and worst in Shoronkhola, Shyamnagar and Morelganj. But, the ecological footprint of the upazilas with better food security is very poor, caused mainly due to shrimp culture.

The model showed that expanding shrimp aquaculture industry is ensuring high food security with increasing environmental degradation in the coastal zones, Prof. Bala said.

He said if the shrimp aquaculture continues to boom from the present status to super intensive level, a collapse in the aquaculture will ultimately occur, turning shrimp aquaculture land neither suitable for shrimp culture nor crop production in future.

"It is now high time to design an integrated management system for the coastal zones of Bangladesh for sustainable development," he said adding his model would help designing plans for sustainable development of the coastal zones and address climate change issues.