COUNTRY

People's Republic of Bangladesh
Bangladesh
East Pakistan

Population:

127,117,967 (July 1999 est.)

Demographics:

In the late 1980s, about 82 percent of the population of Bangladesh (a total of 15.1 million households) resided in rural areas. With the exception of parts of Sylhet and Rangamati regions, where settlements occurred in nucleated or clustered patterns, the villages were scattered collections of homesteads surrounded by trees. Continuous strings of settlements along the roadside were also common in the southeastern part of the country.

Until the 1980s, Bangladesh was the most rural nation in South Asia. In 1931 only 27 out of every 1,000 persons were urban dwellers in what is now Bangladesh. In 1931 Bangladesh had fifty towns; by 1951 the country had eighty-nine towns, cities, and municipalities. During the 1980s, industrial development began to have a small effect on urbanization. The 1974 census had put the urban population of Bangladesh at 8.8 percent of the total; by 1988 that proportion had reached 18 percent and was projected to rise to 30 percent by the year 2000.

In 1981 only two cities, Dhaka and Chittagong, had more than 1 million residents. Seven other cities--Narayanganj, Khulna, Barisal, Saidpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, and Comilla--each had more than 100,000 people. Of all the expanding cities, Dhaka, the national capital and the principal seat of culture, had made the most gains in population, growing from 335,928 in 1951 to 3.4 million in 1981. In the same period, Chittagong had grown from 289,981 to 1.4 million. A majority of the other urban areas each had between 20,000 and 50,000 people. These relatively small towns had grown up in most cases as administrative centers and geographically suitable localities for inland transportation and commercial facilities. There was no particular concentration of towns in any part of the country. In fact, the only large cities close to each other were Dhaka and Narayanganj.

Age structure:
0-14 years: 38% (male 24,516,722; female 23,346,904)
15-64 years: 59% (male 38,441,064; female 36,586,743)
65 years and over: 3% (male 2,303,613; female 1,922,921) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.59% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 25.2 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 8.5 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.2 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

69.68 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 60.6 years
male: 60.73 years
female: 60.46 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.86 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Bangladeshi(s)
adjective: Bangladesh

Ethnic groups:

Bengali 98%, Biharis 250,000, tribals less than 1 million

Religions:

Muslim 88.3%, Hindu 10.5%, other 1.2%

Languages:

Bangla (official), English

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 38.1%
male: 49.4%
female: 26.1% (1995 est.)

Telephones:

249,800 (1994 est.)

Telephone system:
domestic: poor domestic telephone service
international: satellite earth stations—2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 12, FM 12, shortwave 2 (one of Bangladesh's two shortwave stations, Bangladesh Betar or Radio Bangladesh, transmits its programs to the world in six languages on four frequencies) (1998)

Radios:

NA

Television broadcast stations:

11 (1997)

Televisions:

350,000 (1993 est.)

Bangladesh Computer Council

The main objective of establishing BCC (1983) was to ensure the effective application and expansion of the use of information technology.

RISK: ARSENIC

What is arsenic?

Arsenic is found in nature at low levels. It's mostly in compounds with oxygen, chlorine, and sulfur. These are called inorganic arsenic compounds. Arsenic in plants and animals combines with carbon and hydrogen. This is called organic arsenic. Organic arsenic is usually less harmful than inorganic arsenic.  Most arsenic compounds have no smell or special taste.

Inorganic arsenic compounds are mainly used to preserve wood. They are also used to make insecticides and weed killers. You can check the labels of treated wood and insecticides to see if they contain arsenic.

Copper and lead ores contain small amounts of arsenic.

What happens to arsenic when it enters the environment?

 

How might I be exposed to arsenic?

 

How can arsenic affect health?

Inorganic arsenic is a human poison. Organic arsenic is less harmful.  High levels of inorganic arsenic in food or water can be fatal. A high level is 60 parts of arsenic per million parts of food or water (60 ppm). Arsenic damages many tissues including nerves, stomach and intestines, and skin. Breathing high levels can give you a sore throat and irritated lungs.

 

Lower levels of exposure to inorganic arsenic may cause:

 

Long term exposure to inorganic arsenic may lead to a darkening of the skin and the appearance of small "corns" or "warts" on the palms, soles, and torso.

 

Direct skin contact may cause redness and swelling.

 

How likely is arsenic to cause cancer?

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has determined that arsenic is a known carcinogen. Breathing inorganic arsenic increases the risk of lung cancer. Ingesting inorganic arsenic increases the risk of skin cancer and tumors of the bladder, kidney, liver, and lung.

 

Is there a medical test to show whether I've been exposed to arsenic?

Tests can measure your exposure to high levels of arsenic. These tests are not routinely performed in a doctor's office.  Arsenic can be measured in your urine. This is the most reliable test for arsenic exposure. Since arsenic stays in the body only short time, you must have the test soon after exposure.  Tests on hair or fingernails can measure your exposure to highlevels of arsenic over the past 6-12 months. These tests are not very useful for low level exposures.  These tests do not predict whether you will have any harmful health effects.

 

Has the government made recommendations to protect human health?

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets limits on the amount of arsenic that industrial sources can release. It restricted or canceled many uses of arsenic in pesticides and may restrict more. EPA set a limit of 0.05 parts per million (ppm) for arsenic in drinking water. EPA may lower this further.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) established a maximum permissible exposure limit for workplace airborne arsenic of 10 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³).  In Bangladesh, the Government’s water quality standard for arsenic in drinking water is 50 parts per billion, or .05 milligrams per litre.  The World Health Organization had issued a “Guideline Value” for arsenic in drinking water at 50 ppb.  It revised the Guideline Value to 10 ppb.

RISK MANAGEMENT INFRASTRUCTURE

Governmental Structure

Independence:

16 December 1971 (from Pakistan)

Constitution:

4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972, suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986, amended many times

Legal system:

based on English common law

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Administrative divisions:

5 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi
note: there may be one additional division named Sylhet

Executive branch:
President Shahabuddin AHMED (since 9 October 1996); note—the president's duties are normally ceremonial, but with the 13th amendment to the constitution ("Caretaker Government Amendment"), the president's role becomes significant at times when Parliament is dissolved and a caretaker government is installed—at presidential direction—to supervise the elections head of government: Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA Wajed (since 23 June 1996)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president
elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term; election last held 24 July 1996 (next to be held by NA October 2001); following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually appointed prime minister by the president
election results: Shahabuddin AHMED elected president without opposition; percent of National Parliament vote—NA

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad (330 seats; 300 elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies, 30 seats reserved for women; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 12 June 1996 (next to be held NA 2001)
election results: percent of vote by party—AL 33.87%, BNP 30.87%; seats by party—AL 178, BNP 113, JP 33, JI 3, other 2, election still to be held 1; note—the elections of 12 June 1996 brought to power an Awami League government for the first time in twenty-one years; held under a neutral, caretaker administration, the elections were characterized by a peaceful, orderly process and massive voter turnout, ending a bitter two-year impasse between the former BNP and opposition parties that had paralyzed National Parliament and led to widespread street violence

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court, the Chief Justices and other judges are appointed by the president

Political parties and leaders:

Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIAur Rahman]; Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA Wajed]; Jatiyo Party or JP [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Jamaat-E-Islami or JI [Motiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP [Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK]

Arsenic Contaminated Areas:

A UNICEF-funded Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) testing programme, which has tested more than 30,000 tube wells across the country, found arsenic contamination in the central part of the country, stretching from Chapai Nawabganj in the west to Brahmanbaria in the east.  The greater Sylhet area is also affected.  Isolate cases of arsenic contamination have been found in the northern coastal areas of the country.

International Organizations

AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNOMIL, UNPREDEP, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WtrO

NGOs

95 NGOs, 5 focused on information technology, 14 focused on environmental issues

Village Level Structures

Bertocci, Peter.  The Politics of Community and Culture in Bangladesh

Ali, AMM Shawkat.  Politics and Land System in Bangladesh

Hartman, Betsey and Boyce, James.  A quiet Violence: View from a Bangladesh Village

Chen, Martha.  A Quiet Revolution: Women in Transition in Rural Bangladesh

Jansen, Erik.  Rural Bangladesh: Competition for Scarce Resources

Rehman, Atiur. Peasants and Classes: A Study in Differentiation in Bangladesh

White, Sarah. Arguing with the Crocodile: Gender and Class in Bangladesh

Jannuzi, FT and James T. Peach. The Agrarian Structure of Bangladesh: An Impediment to Development.

Wood, Geoffrey. Bangladesh: Whose Ideas, Whose Interests.

 

RISK MANAGEMENT: SOCIOECONOMIC RATIONALE

 

Questions:

Socioeconomics of Region

1977 there is knowledge of iron content in groundwater and identified the agricultural risk.

In 1985, Bangladesh officials were notified of increasing numbers of people crossing the border into India to seek medical treatment for skin ailments suspected of being related to arsenic poisoning.  In 1993, the government in Bangladesh established a committee to look into the problem, but very little testing was carried out (look at results of testing, conclusions).  In a social system ruled by profit, the supply of clean water for Bangladesh and West Bengal, like the provision of necessary health care for treating diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, and diarrhea is a luxury only available to the few who can afford to pay.  From http://www.wsws.org.  Written by Liz Mantell.  The World Socialist Web Site.

 

With Salinization; aquifer depletion; why did the government select the groundwater option in the first place.

 

Social Cost of Waterborne Disease?

 

UNICEF/World Bank cost benefit analysis

 

Governmental, Civil Society, International Decisional Processes

 

See

National Water Plan Projects 1970-1985

UNDP Hydrogeologic Conditions of Bangladesh 1982 GWC Technical Report and Water Development Board of Dakha

Sobhan, Rehman. Bangladesh: Problems of Governance

Rahman, Atiq et al. Environmental Aspects of Surface Water Systems of Bangladesh (1990)

Rahman, Atiq et al. Environmental Aspects of Agricultural Development in Bangladesh (1990)

Rahman, Atiq et al. Environment and Development in Bangladesh (1994)

Novak, James J.  Bangladesh: Reflections on the Water (1993).

Nahid, Islam. Environmental Challenges to Bangladesh (1991).

Black, Maggie.  From Handpumps to Health (1990).

Wood, Geoffrey. The Water Sellers: A Cooperative Venture (1990).

Alauddin, Mohammad. The Environment and Economic Development in South Asia: Concentrating on Bangladesh (1998)

Van Koppen, BCP.  Women and Waterpumps in Bangladesh: The Impact of Participation in Irrigation Groups on Women’s Status (1996).