The Validation Workshop on “Pesticide risk reduction in Bangladesh” project document was held on 27 June 2018 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) with Secretary, Mr. Abdullah Al Mohsin Chowdury of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) as the Chief Guest and Dr. Sultan Ahmed, Director General, Department of Environment (DoE) as the Chair and  Mr. Naoki Minamiguchi, the Representative a.i. of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as Special Guest. The representatives of other partner executing agencies - Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and Department of Fisheries (DoF), and other stakeholder organizations also participated in the workshop. 

The Government of Bangladesh with the financial support of Asian Development Bank (ADB) imported 500 tonnes of DDT in 1985 for the malaria control programme. But, due its sub-standard quality (Low a.i. content) the consignment was not accepted. As an interim arrangement, the entire quantity was stored in four warehouses of Medical Sub-Depot (MSD) of DGHS in Agrabad, Chittagong. DDT is a persistent organic pollutant (POP) pesticide, which is highly hazardous for its very long persistence, long-route transferability and carcinogenic properties. Meanwhile, GoB imposed a ban on the use of DDT including all dirty dozen pesticides.

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) was adopted on 23 May 2001. Bangladesh became a signatory of the convention on the same day. The objective of the Convention is to protect human health and the environment from POPs. Subsequently Bangladesh represented by MoEFCC through DoE prepared the National Implementation Plan (NIP) for the management of POPs including nine POPs pesticides. The NIP was ratified in 2009 and became eligible for GEF fund for the elimination/disposal of POPs. Accordingly, the application submitted in 2015 by FAO in collaboration with MoEFCC for GEF Trust fund was approved in May 2017. The Project Preparation Grant (PPG) team deployed by FAO in August 2017 through a series of stakeholder consultations, visits, meetings and workshops prepared the draft final project document and presented for validation and final comments. The participants expressed their satisfaction about the document and provided comments for further improvements before the submission for clearance by the Government. This project will be implemented by FAO in close collaboration with DoE, DGHS, DAE and DoF.

Mr Solaiman Haider, Director Planning, Department of Environment welcomed participants and briefly presented the background, importance and implementation arrangements of the project.

“This validation workshop is part of a process to ensure the engagement of several concerned Ministries and Departments and that the project document considers and articulates properly the activities to be implemented within the limited time and resources available,” said Matieu Henry, Chief Technical Advisor at FAO Bangladesh.

The implementation of the project initiating the process of DDT stockpile disposal will start from January 2019. The disposal of DDT stockpiles should be done in an environmental sound way using the Best Available Technology (BAT) and Best Environmental Practice (BEP). TheBAT and BEP are essential because POPs pesticides, if not destroyed by using BAT and BEP, will produce U-POPs (unintentionally produced POPs viz., Dioxins and Furans), which are volatile highly toxic substances that cause serious environmental pollutions and human and animal health hazards.