Evaluation of environmental pollution in Bangladesh by inland shipping operation

Abstract

The Inland Water Transportation is the major source of transportation in Bangladesh. Around ten thousand of different types of registered vessels and thousands of unregistered vessels are plying in inland routes. This sector carries over 50% of cargo, 80% of fuel-oil and one quarter of all passenger traffic per year. However, this huge no of vessels plying in inland routes made us vulnerable to significant marine pollution. The inland water ways are getting polluted by direct throwing of bilges, solid waste, oily water, and ballast water and also through air pollution due to running of engines and machineries.

In this thesis work, quantification of pollutants by inland shipping operation has been done. Four types of ships such as passenger vessels, cargo vessels, oil tankers and sand carriers have been taken for the study. Total discharges of bilges, solid waste, oily water, and ballast water have been approximated by collecting field data using standard statically method and also data from other available sources. It has been found that the quantity of pollutants discharged by cargo vessels are much higher than other vessels such as sand carriers, passenger vessels and oil tankers for inland shipping operation in Bangladesh.

To assess the impacts of pollutants, the environmental modeling has been done with the help of Eco Indicator 99 (I) of SimaPro. It has been revealed that there are considerable impacts of marine pollution on environment by inland shipping operation and the major consequences such as climate change, global warming, eutrophication, destruction of fishing zone, respiratory problems of human being, frequent cyclone and rise of sea level causing flooding in coastal zones and local air pollution have been studied in this thesis work. From the study, it is found that that the impact of pollutants discharged by oil tanker is much higher than the other vessels. Few preventive measures have been suggested in this thesis work in the light of design modification, regulatory enforcement and financial analysis to reduce the impact of marine pollutions by inland shipping operation in Bangladesh.