***The arsenic problem, which is not yet visible in the capital city, has become serious in the other parts of the country. Some experts blame this problem on the use of ground water, others on the use of chemical agents.***

WHEN Rachel Carson published her seminal work Silent Spring in 1962. the West suddenly woke up to the realities of ecological crises that may result from Increasing dependence on unsafe chemical S:nts. Carson died of cancer erwards. and often the birth of the US government s Federal agency known as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is attributed to this whole episode.

I n't fie:Vnltotl-States. envL ronmental groups (Including NGOs). and even the Federal government's EPA are occasionally at odds with various companies and Interest groups on issues related to natural resources depletion and human induced pollution. Similar trends are visible in Europe

For example, very recently. British Petroleum (BP) sued the environmental group Greenpeace for Bp's losses incurred due to Green peaces confrontational activities. Bangladesh, as a comparatively new country. has yet to develop a strong industrial base (with the garment and shrimp sectors often beset with various problems); and our agriculture is prone to natural disasters almost every year.

Under the circumstances, the government seems to be greatly dependent on various multinational companies. NGOs. and donor agencies, and

mutual cooperation among these various groups remains extremely necessary.

In our tiny country, various human-induced ecological “ problewis seem to begetting critical day by day. The air quality in various cities, especially in Dhaka, has become quite unbearable with the daily emission of noxious fumes from two-stroke engine vehicles (baby-taxies) among other sources. Young children are particularly vulnerable to such polluted air which cause various complications including respiratory problems.

The arsenic problem, which is not yet visible in the capital city, has become serious in the other parts of the country Some experts blame this prob-

lem on the use of ground water, others on the use of chemical agents. However, we do seem to be on the verge of a quick rem-

ln addition^ to these slowly! emerging but dangerous ecological problems, recently we experienced a sudden and colossal ecological disaster at the Magurchhara gasfield accident.

Even though we are. by no means a very techno-based industrial country, our manmade ecological problems seem to be just as harmful. As a predominantly rural country (with a low literacy rate), most of our citizens are unaware of the consequences of such problems, and become easy victims. Obviously. they lack any means of

voicing their opinion (if they do not know what's going on. how can they express their concerns or make suggestions amenable to their life-styles?)

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs). various corporations and donor agencies have proven to be a forceful ally of the government in keeping the country's population problem in control — with various activities such as publicity ■SMSMW people, tn addition io assisting the government in funding such activities. Our ecological problems are Just as urgent, and it may not be a bad idea to engage all these forces together to come up with a holistic policy of mutual cooperation.

While faced with ecological crises, we cannot afford to take on a confrontational attitude as often seen in the West. Instead, we need to get all the groups involved: those who can help us solve the problems directly, and those who may have been proven to cause the problems and bear the responsibility to help the country out.

As we strive to establish ourselves as a strong nation we ^n0‘ f?r«e‘ ‘be significance of unity and "mutual respect tor all just as we cannot ignore the long-term effects of natural and human-induced problems including the vital ones like the arsenic crush.