IMPLICATION OF SHRIMP CULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES: A DISCUSSION

CHAPTER EIGHT

IMPLICATION OF SHRIMP CULTURE AND

ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES: A DISCUSSION

From Nature’s chain, whatever link you strike,

                                                                Tenth, or ten thousandth, breaks the chain alike.

                                 Alexander Pope, Essay on Man

The environment of coastal Bangladesh, which accommodates shrimp culture as well, is complex and changing. The environmental consequences of human interventions show both positives bio-physical changes as well as some negative environmental impacts. This dynamic situation places a number of constraints on the freedom for development in sympathy with natural conditions. After a decade of investment in shrimp culture development projects by national government and international agencies, it is time to measure the performance of such aquaculture against its promise. Rapid expansion of shrimp culture in most uncoordinated fashion at the private initiative for export markets. The objectives of sustainable development and employment generation become anachronism. The landscape of the coastal area has been altered by shrimp culture at an alarming rate. Some of the area turned into a desert atoll surrounded by saline water, with its rich natural and agricultural bounty lost forever (Plate 1). The expansion of brackish water shrimp culture in an unplanned has also contributed to the clearance of mangrove forest (USAID, 1991). Shrimp culture in the coastal region is expanding rapidly. The number of shrimp farms and the area under them doubled between 1983-84 and 1989-90 (Kalam 1992). This chapter briefly reviews the environmental impacts to the area of shrimp farming in general as well as specific effects collected from field survey.

8.2. Shrimp Culture and Natural Environment

Massive shrimp culture, mainly by private entrepreneurs for the sole purpose of export in unplanned manner (with exception of small proportion of coastal area being cultivated in a planned manner under a project supported by IDA) deserves to be investigated for understanding its environmental implications. Thus, the study has tried to explore implications of shrimp culture through field investigation and field observation. Discussion with the local elite’s and expert’s opinion helped to identify the environmental consequences to the shrimp areas are described in the following paragraph.

A.    Impacts on the Livestock and Poultry

Rearing livestock and poultry in the backyard is a major source of income and supporting livelihood for a large number of marginal and small farmers. Livestock is an indispensable component of the farming systems practised by marginal and small farmers. The flooding of land for shrimp culture reduces the availability of grazing land and therefore the number of livestock. As the livestock play a central role in the rural economy, providing draught power, fertilizer, fuel, and food. The overall effect of these could be considerable but difficult to quantify.

According to the field investigation it has observed that the population of various domestic animals (cattle, goats, buffaloes, sheep, poultry) has decreased in shrimp farm areas. Among the interviewee 100% of government officers, farmers, educated persons and chairmen; 86.66% of fishermen, 70% beparis and 25% shrimp farmer have responded in favour of the decreasing trained of domestic animals. The causes identified for the loss of the domestic animals are as scarcity of grasses, straw and grazing lands and accommodation (Siemelink, 1982:7; DDP 1983:57; Guimaraes, 1989:25, also in ESCAP Report on Coastal Environmental management Plan for Bangladesh, ST/ESCAP/618, Vol. 2, 9. 45).

Decline in the livestock population has resulted in manifold problems for agricultural production, which has to operate as an integrated system, if it is survive. Firstly, it results in shortage of draught power for ploughing, traction power and transportation, impeding cultivation and post-harvest processing and marketing. Secondly, decrease in the quality of dairy goods results particularly in shortage of ‘baby food’ as well as components of more nutritious diet for children and adults alike. Thirdly, women’s traditional roles for collecting dung for fuel becomes diminishing as cattle disappear (Adnan, 1993:3).

B.     On Wild Animals

Population of various will animals such as mangroves, squirrels, will cats, foxes, jackles, varanus, cobra, turtles, vultures etc. are reported to decrease day by day from the shrimp culture areas. Among the interviewee 100% of fishermen, 60% of beparis and 20% of shrimp farmers have claimed that the wild animals of the concerned areas have decreased. The causes mentioned by the interviewee are associated mainly with the destruction of the bushes and jungles, water logging and encroachment of higher salinity.

C.     On Aquatic Flora and Fauna

In the present investigation it is observed that both fresh water and brackish water fauna are affected due to prawn culture in the concerned areas. Among the interviewee 100% of government officers, farmers, educated parsons, chairmen, fishermen; 70% beparis and 25% of prawn farmers have reported that the aquatic flora and fauna are decreasing in the concerned areas. The reported causes which are associated with the pollution of the fresh water environment by higher salinity and indiscriminate killing of other fishes and their seeds during prawn seed collection from natural sources.

D.    On the Mangrove Vegetation

It is also reported that mangrove trees (bain, geoa, golpata, keora, sundari etc.) are also affected by the shrimp culture (Atiur Rahaman 1994). The interviewee says that mainly saline water logging for long time in the culture area is affecting the habitats of these trees. Except this it is also reported that during the preparation of the shrimp farm a lot of mangrove trees are uprooted. ESCAP report 1992 pointed that destruction of mangrove forests due to leasing of land for shrimp cultivation also leading to possibly irreversible genetic loss of certain species of animal.

E.     On the Agricultural Crop

During the investigation the interviewee highly supported that the production of various agricultural crop (Vegetables, paddy, jute, mustard etc.) are hampered for shrimp culture in the whole Satkhira district. Among the interviewee except the prawn farm owners (30%) all other classes responded full (100%) in favour of the negative impact of shrimp culture on agricultural production. It is reported that many farm owners forcefully acquire hundreds of acres of paddy field directly or indirectly from the cultivator for shrimp farming. Beside this the establishment of prawn farms the agricultural production is also hampered by many other causes such as saline water logging in the neighboring land and agricultural field intentionally saline water passing into the crop field by the shrimp farm owner.

F.     On Fruit Plants

According to the interviewee (100% government officer, farmers; educated persons, chairman, 80% of Beparis and 25% of prawn farmers) fruit plants ( mango, jackfruit, guava, coconut, palm, date etc.) of the aquaculture areas have decreased due to shrimp culture. The reported causes are increased of salinity and lack of afforestation programme in such aquaculture areas has decreased due to shrimp culture. The reported causes are increased of salinity and lack of afforestation programme in such aquaculture areas. 

G.    On Communication Network

Although shrimp farming has developed the communication of various places, but in some places the communication is distributed especially in the shrimp culture areas. Among the interviewee all classes have supported fully (100%) the destruction of communication network except 70% of shrimp farmers. The identified causes of communication destruction are random cutting of WDB – embankment, soil erosion from road areas, due to water logging, over flooding of saline water on the roads etc. The BWDB authority has filed 674 cases against the Shrimp farmers for unauthorized cutting of the embankment in four districts (Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat and Jessore). The authority has also claimed that about 95% of the shrimp farm owner are not following the government rule of shrimp culture. It is also reported that the BWDB authority is loosing about one million taka per year for this purpose.

H.    On Fuel Production

The present investigation has shown the fuel crisis is very high. Because the firewood for domestic uses generally supplied by the forest and trees, and some other bio-fuel-cow-dung and stub of paddy. All these sources of fuel have decreased rapidly. As a result big trees are used for this purpose. Among the interviewee 100% of government officers, farmers, educated persons, chairman, fishermen; 70% bapari and 25% of shrimp farmers have supported the above causes of fuel shortage.

I.       On the Inter Tidal Fauna and their Predators

In the inter tidal zones have considerable variability in temperature, light, Salinity, atmospheric exposure, tidal action and water current are important for inter tidal biota. Common biota inhabiting upper limits of the zone includes crustaceans, annelids, mullasc etc. Due to the stagnant water in the inter tidal areas by Bheri culture these fauna are disappearing from that vast areas. The predators of these animals have also not found in the shrimp farm areas.

J.      On the Production of Meat and Milk

It is reported that the production of meat and milk has decreased due to adverse condition of the prawn farm areas. Among the interviewee 100% of government officer, farmers, educated persons, chairman; 86.66% of fisherman, 80% of bepari and 30% of prawn farmers are unanimous on this point that meat and milk production is hampered by shrimp farming. It is also reported that ducks are not allowed into the prawn farms and poultry birds are not finding their grazing fresh. Duck and poultry farming are facing great problems and their population is decreasing from the shrimp farm areas.

K.    On Buildings and Earthen – Houses

The people of the shrimp farm areas reported the present investigators that higher salinity is affecting seriously the dwelling houses specially the buildings and earthen-houses. The people of the respected areas mentioned that before the shrimp farming the salinity was not entered into the residential area.

L.     House-shed Problems of Poor Household

It is observed that 80% of dwelling houses in the village of Rampal upazila is shaded by thatched straw obtained from paddy stub. Because of the gross reduction of paddy culture in the study area, straw production is not sufficient. Moreover, some portion of the produced straw used in the shrimp field for fertility development of the farm water. As a result there is acute shortage of stub straw for house-shed in the study area.

M.   On the Economic Condition of Poor

The marginal farmers, day-labourers and fisherman are becoming poorer due to shrimp farming. The present investigation reported another important case, which is associated with the earning of poor people specially in the prawn farming area throughout the study area. Generally these classes of people live on hand to mouth during various seasons, associated with agriculture, dishing and other works. The cultivation of agricultural crop is reduced due to shrimp farming as a result a huge number of marginal farmers and day-labourers remain unemployed during the paddy cultivation season. On the other hand the fisherman of concerned areas cannot catch fish because of the restriction of fishing areas and also the crisis of various fishes in the water bodies of that area.

N.    On the Social Condition Including Migration of Poor People

It has investigated that although the foreign exchange earning by shrimp export is sufficient and employment of a large scale of manpower in shrimp industries. But the real figure of impacts of prawn culture on the social conduction of the respected area is different. It is reported the almost all the prawn farms are not follow the rules of the government and they forcefully take lease of cropland from the poor people. The shrimp farmers always do not pay the contract money to the poor landowners. This problem only does not create social imbalance. Sometimes create felonious fighting, collision and sometimes murder. Social crimes are also spreading like shrimp farms. The poor people of the shrimp culture area are migrating towards town for work and peace. Numerous reports about these problems were published in various press media. The findings of those reporters prove to be true by the present investigation.

O.    Scarcity of Drinking Water

The brackish water shrimp culture is also damaging the fresh-water sources of drinking water in the concerned areas, where deep tube-well water is not available. Since saline water is stored in a certain area for long time, underground water becomes saline and fresh water sources i.e. pond, canal, tank, etc. transformed into saline water. As a result, scarcity of freshwater for cooking, washing and drinking are the common problems in the study area. Ultimately, people suffered various disease (dysentery, diarrhea and other enteric disease).

P.     Hygienic Problems

During the investigation in the shrimp processing industry and talked with the workers of the industry, it is observed that almost all the workers of prawn farms work in unhygienic condition. The shrimp farms workers reported to the present investigators that the shrimp farms warms workers reported to the present investigator that the shrimp farm owners provide them with low salaries, which is not sufficient for their maintenance. Among the interviewee 100% of government official, 100% of farmers, 100% of educated persons, 100% of chairmen, 100% of fishermen, 70% of beparis and 25% of prawn farmers have supported the above problems. Skin diseases are also very common among the shrimp farm labourers.

Q.    Water and Air Pollution

After harvesting the shrimps are deheaded, cleaned and iced. Then the iced shrimps are properly examined, processed and packed for export purpose. It is necessary to mention here that the shrimp tail constitutes about 63 per cent and discarded head portion is 37 per cent of the total body weight. During the year 1994-95 Bangladesh export 56,000 metric tons of shrimps. The total quantity of discarded heads and other wastes amounted to about 20,720 metric tons. This discards are mostly thrown into the river or khal, which creates bad smell in the locality and causes hazard in the nearby water body, resulting environment pollution.

R.    Ecology and Environment

The flora fauna ecosystem of the southwest region is dominated by the mangrove forest of the Sundarbans.  The Sundarbans extend over 0.57 million hectares (1.41 million areas) in the Khulna region, and are subject to tidal inundation. The Sundarbans forest is divided into three quality classes depending on the basis of salinity of soil as well as river waters. The predominant species of the forest- Sundari which accounts for 60 percent of the marketable timber from the Sundarbans, grows in the fresh water zone and to some extent in the moderately saline zone. Sundari can stand a certain degree of salinity of soil as well as of water gut it cannot stand the salinity when it goes above the tolerance limit of 8,000 micromhos. Hence, northward intrusion of saline water has created hazard for the generation and regeneration of this tree. The recent downward trend in the availability of Sundri can be attributed to the increase in salinity. Loss due to rapid abolition of Sundari and other valuable trees of Sundarbans during the post diversion period is about Taka 8,500 million. The Sundarbans is also a rich habitat of fish fauna ( of which 120 species are of commercial importance); 270 species of birds including 95 species of water fowl; over 50 species of reptiles and amphibians; and 42 species of mammals including the Royal Bengal Tiger. The recent increase of soil and water salinity has upset this natural equilibrium of the delicate ecological balance for the Sundarbans flora and fauna. If this phenomenon allow continuing, the Sundarbans, one of the world’s largest natural mangrove forests would face imminent extinction.

8.3 IMPACT OF SHRIMP CULTURE ON SOCIAL LIFE

In the mid and late 70s, plenty of objections were raised against the use of land inside and outside of embankments for brackish water shrimp farming. Following are the observations highlighted by the experienced people in the study area:

i.                    Shrimp Gher owners take lease of land from small farmers but the seldom make payments of agreed rents particularly to the small land owners who are often ignored and pushed out

ii.                  Shrimp Gher owners flood the land adjacent to their Ghers with saline water and thereby force the adjacent landowners to lease their land at a lower rent.

8.3.1 Land ownership Pattern

Majority of the respondent belong to the middle farmer categories ( %), followed by the ones belonging to the marginal group. The Jotedars and rich farmers constitute quite an important proportion (%). Only % of the respondents belongs to the landless category (Table 7.1).

Table 7.1: Classification of Respondents on the Basis of the Ownership of Land

Table 11: Size of Lease in Land

Size	Percentage of Total Household			Percentage of difference
	1975	1985	1999	1985-75	1999-85	1999-75
<0.5	0.00	2.38	1.09	2.38	-1.29	1.09
0.5-2.5	0.00	28.57	47.83	28.57	19.25	47.83
2.51-7.5	50.00	30.95	28.26	-19.05	-2.69	-21.74
7.51-16.00	0.00	11.90	9.78	11.90	-2.12	9.78
16.00+	50.00	26.19	13.04	-23.81	-13.15	-36.96
Total	100.00	100.00	100.00	-	-	-

In 1975, Percentage of Lease in Household 1.6

In 1985, Percentage of Lease in Household 11.22

In 1999, Percentage of Lease in Household 24.6

Table 12: Size of Lease out Land

Size	Percentage of total household			Percentage of difference
	1975	1985	1999	1985-75	1999-85	1999-75
<0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
0.5-2.5	66.7	50.0	51.4	-16.7	1.4	-15.2
2.51-7.5	33.3	30.8	37.1	-2.6	6.4	3.8
7.51-16.00	0.0	19.2	11.4	19.2	-7.8	11.4
16.00+	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Total	100	100	100	-	-	-

In 1975, Percentage of Lease out Household 0.8

In 1985, Percentage of Lease out Household 6.95

In 1999, Percentage of Lease out Household 18.72

 8.3.1 Economic Condition

Excepts of rich landowners who either have started their own shrimp ghers or lease out their land to the other farmers, most of the middle and small farmers, the landless day labours have lost their economic strengths due to shrimp culture. The earning choices of the latter groups have become limited and they have become totally dependent on the demand on the shrimp farming and daily job market. Their earlier opportunities for homestead vegetation, raising of fruit trees, raising of poultry and livestock and catching of sweet water fishes from the nearby water bodies.

Income Distribution

Equally skewed is the distribution of the respondents when categorised in terms of income groups. Salaries people and ghers owner possesses the highest income in the study area. About 11.8 per cent and 35.4 per cent of the respondents have an annual income exceeding one laks. Thirty seven per cent of salaries people, 37.5 per cent of the business people and 27.9 per cent belong to Taka 20,000 to 50,000 income groups. While the remaining 36% of them belong to less than Tk. 20,000 income group (Table 7.2).

Table 7.2: Classification of respondents on the basis of yearly income

Income Group	Percentage of Different Category
	Salary	House Rent	Business	Wage	Agriculture	Livestock & Poultry	Gher	Others
<10000	5.9	66.7	19.8	42.3	56.5	97.8	5.4	63.1
10000-20000	20.6	33.3	35.4	29.6	24.8	0.9	8.6	18.5
20000-50000	36.8	0.0	37.5	22.5	15.2	0.9	27.9	12.3
50000-100000	25.0	0.0	7.3	5.6	2.2	0.0	22.9	6.2
100000+	11.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.4	0.3	35.4	0.0
Total	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

Occupation

As yet, Agriculture is the most dominant first occupation of majority of the respondents (45%). Only 21% of the respondents have said that the shrimp farming is their first occupation. Quite a good number of professionals (12%) (like layers, doctors, blacksmith) have also engaged themselves in shrimp farming (Table 7.3). Another 8% of the respondents have said that they have chosen shrimp farming as second occupation.

Table 7.3: Classification of Respondents on the Basis of First Occupation

Table 7.4: Classification of Respondents on the Basis of Second Occupation

The perception originated from the collapse of the traditional near self-sufficient economy of their locality due to shrimp culture describes as follows. The livelihood opportunities prevailing in and around their homesteads have suddenly been disrupted. The kitchen garden, the domestic animals and poultry birds earlier met most of their domestic demands. In addition to meeting some of these demands, the homestead economy allowed a household head to earn some extra cash income by selling some of the domestics products. Also, the poorer people access to open water bodies, especially river channels not only for fishing but also could wash their cows and buffaloes in them. But suddenly the shrimp culture has taken away their right to common properties like the open water bodies. Moreover, unplanned shrimp farming, very often forced into the villages, has salinised the homestead gardens and caused depletion of vegetable and fruit trees. Also the grazing grounds have all been devested with saline water. These negative impacts of culture have been discussed in details in Chapter Six.

8.3.2 Right Over Common Property Resources

In the study area, rights of ordinary people over the common property resources like roads, khal beels, common grazing grounds, sports ground, ponds, schools, mosque/temples etc. have been curtailed significantly.

Roads: There were wide roads across the villages constructed by the Government, feeder roads links with local trading centers and smaller roads across the fields which people used as thoroughfares. The ghers have engulfed the smaller roads and one can not even trace them out. The bigger govt. roads have been affected by waves of saline water from both sides. Repeated waves have reduced the width of the roads (Plate 8). In some places people have cut them for channeling saline water into their land.

 

Water bodies: The open water bodies were the main reservoirs of sweet water fishes and people had free access to them through out the year. But powerful gher owner has annexed most of these water bodies and villagers have no place to go for fishing. These are khash lands have been annexed with tacit approval of the local administration. All ponds, common and private, have lost their utility as saline water has introduced into them. Some of them had been annexed into shrimp ghers as well.

Temples

The intrusion of saline water into the open space in front of the temples and also around the base of them makes quite untenable or healthy religions activities. Plate 9 shows a temple within shrimp a gher.

8.5 Legal Status

There exist, as such, no law or legal instrument in favour of or against brackish-water shrimp-fish aquaculture in the coastal areas of Bangladesh (Atiur 1994). Shrimp farmers make unauthorized cuts or breaches in the BWDB embankments to install sluice gates for controlled flooding of their shrimp farms inside the polders (Plate 10). The rice farmers complained that such intake of water disrupts paddy growing in lands adjacent to the shrimp farms. Under the Embankment and Drainage Act, 1953, such “cuts” in BWDB embankments are illegal. BWDB has, in the past, made efforts to enforce the law with varying degrees of success. The issue of permitting shrimp farmers to install previously approved sluice gates across BWDB embankments by amending the Embankment and Drainage Act, 1953 was examined by the Government. In 1985, the Ministry of Law gave the opinion that BWDB could be authorized under the existing Act to permit saline-water intake into the polder areas. The ground situation is, however, quite complex and local power structure plays significant role in deciding the actual outcome.

On the basis of decisions taken an inter-ministerial meeting in January 1986, the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock has constituted shrimp culture regulation committees at the divisional level, district and upazila levels in the Khulna region. The divisional committees are headed by a commissioner while the district committees are headed by deputy commissioners. The chairman of the upazilas have been made the chairman of the upazila committees. The upazila committees are authorized to issue licences to prospective of which shrimp farmers on several conditions, the most important are:

a.       Shrimp farm operators will have to construct sluice gates as per the approved design and plan of BWD. The cost of the sluice gates has to be paid in advance to BWDB. The actual construction will be done directly by BWDB or by the shrimp farm operator under the supervision of BWDB.

b.      The committee shall determine the amount of compensation to be paid to paddy landowner whose paddy crop has been damaged owing to seepage of saline water from shrimp farms and ensure payment of such compensation.

c.       The committee shall ensure that small farmers owing land within a shrimp gher are given employment by shrimp gher owners. In the event that shrimp gher owner employ people from outside, the committee shall ensure that such local small farmers who become employed are paid by shrimp gher owners a wage equivalent to 50 per cent of the wage paid to the employees hired.

d.      The upazila committees shall assist in organizing small farmers and landowners into cooperative so that landowners can collectively undertake shrimp culture.

Latter the government announced ‘ Shrimp Mohal Management Policies’ 30 March 1992. The policy asserts that ‘ there has to be an appropriate and just land management policy for shrimp culture. The policy should not aim at raising production along, there has to be a better linkage between higher production and the economic condition of the people involved in it. The democratic government is pledge bound to improve the lot of the ordinary peasants involved in land utilization (ref: Bhumi/Sha-8/Chingri/227/91//217). With such as objective in mind the government has announced the land management policy with reference to shrimp culture embracing aspects like selection of plots, survey, distribution of shrimp. The policy highlights following issues:

a.       There will be national committee headed the land minister. There will be three members of parliament nominated by the government, two shrimp farmers, four secretaries of four ministries (e.g. land, fisheries and livestock, forest and environment, irrigation and flood control) joint secretary of ministry of land, divisional commissioners of Chittagong and Khulna. Together there are 11 members in the national committee. This committee is responsible for formulating national policy on shrimp culture.

b.      There is a district level committee to identify land and control shrimp culture. Deputy commissioner is the chairman of the committee. Other members include two shrimp farmers nominated by the government and four other government officials at the district level. The tasks of this committee include identification of suitable land for shrimp culture, declaration of ‘chingri mohal’, assessment and management of the lease etc. and forwarding their recommendations to the ministry of land through the divisional commissioners. The committee also discusses technicalities of shrimp culture and tries to solve all other problems arising out in the process.

c.       Chingri Mohal Elaka (Shrimp Mohal Area):

i.           The present shrimp land has to be declared a shrimp mohal area. The maps and other documents related to shrimp land have to be preserved at the district head quarter and the ministry. All papers related to leasing of shrimp of land to be preserved at the ministry.

ii.         Any organization/board constituted by the ministry of forest and environment, ministry of livestock or the government can declare and land suitable for shrimp culture as ‘chingri mohal’.

iii.       In order to declare any shrimp land as ‘chingri mohal’, the deputy commissioner has to examine the papers within 30 days and send them to the ministry of land.

iv.       No khas land within chingri mohal can be leased out as agricultural land on short or long term basis. In the mean time, all agricultural land leased out by government within the chringri mohal will not be deemed as shrimp land.

d.      Terms and conditions for leasing of chringri mohal:

Any fisherman/fish trader/ fish processor with adequate financial strength can be apply for leasing of khas land within cingri mohal for shrimp farming. But the priority will be given to a person or a farm with better technical and management knowledge of shrimp culture in this regard.

Generally speaking, no single person/farm should not be allocated more than 10 acres of land for shrimp farming. But any individual/ farm with high knowledge of processing of shrimp, scientific farming of shrimps may be allocated upto 30 acres or more. Such individual/farm will also get priority in case of leasing of land within privately owned gher as well. The lease can be given at a rate of taka Tk. 1500 per acre with incremental salami of 5% per year for a period of ten years.

But almost none of these policies, especially these, which safeguard the interest of the people, are being implemented. Negligence to duty and particularly of the law and order implementing agencies, particularly of the police are having harmful effect. As a result social tension in operating, In spite of restriction of the policies some shrimp farmers, who are outsiders, are compelling the local people to submit to their will with the assistance of the police and muscleman. These outsiders have created a situation full of terror and anarchy.

Again, there is no coordination between different ministries involved in shrimp farming. Logically, the Ministry of Fisheries should have been the lead agency. But these days policy pronouncement and actual actions are taken by other ministries (e.g. Industries, land) without even recognizing the ‘lead role’, of the Ministry of Fisheries. Similarly, the Ministry of Environment is also not always recognized in making such policy decisions with regards to shrimp culture.

8.6 Environmental Impact Assessment

Table: Environmental Impact Value of the Study Area

IEC	Unit	Base Year	EIV
		1975	1985	1997
Shrimp	Kg/Ha	100
White Fish	Kg/Ha	100
Trees	No./Household	100
Livestock	No./Household	100
Surface salinity	ppt.	100
Soil salinity	ppt.	100
Water logging	Area	100
Agricultural land	Ha/Household	100
Settlement	Ha/Household	100
Shrimp ghers	Ha/Household	100
Income	Taka/Household	100

            Note:   EIV = Post Project – Pre Project

Environmental Consequences of Shrimp Culture

Activity	Consequence to Environment	Environmental Impacts	Human Health & Welfare Impacts	Mitigation
Allowing salt water within ponds and agricultural land for several months	Increase in salinity, degradation of land, water quality and damage building structure	Destruction/ degradation of valuable habitats for flora & fauna	Reduction of vegetables, fruits, fodders, milk	Develop land use policy and environ-guide-line for shrimp culture.
Destructive fish fry collection	Destruction of fish-bio-diversity, increased exploitation of preferred species	Reduction of preferred species population	Reduction in food supplies for the local poor people	Regulations for species selection which is socially, environmentally & technically acceptable
Shrimp processing and packaging plants	Degradation of water quality	Water pollution leading to damage fish habitat and water borne diseases	Health hazard	Environmental law and enforcement for efficient treatment plant
Introduction of cash economy dependence in rural areas	Rise in consumption level will increase exploitation of natural resources and more use of energy	Increase in destruction of natural resource (timber tree, capital intensive farming	Breaking traditional life style and subsistence economy. Widen the gap between rich and poor	Ensure people’s participation in planning and development of shrimp culture
Effluent discharge from fish processing plants, shrimp ponds	Increase in water pollution	Damages or pollutes habitat	Increase in water borne disease	Environmentally sound waste management and enforcement of law
Creation of wage labor force (generally hired external people)	Increased pressure on land and create social tension	Degradation of land & water , breaks social harmony	Social violence and unhappiness	Local peoples participation should be ensured