TITLE:
Environment Development and Health Safety System in Rural Areas of Bangladesh (Noakhali and Lakshmipur Districts)
AUTHORS:
Asif Kader
KEYWORDS:
COVID-19, Handicraft, Ingredients, Microenterprise, Environment, Climate-Change, Waste-Management
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.15 No.2,
February
29,
2024
ABSTRACT: At present time, Bangladesh is developing its position in all sectors of world prosperity. Economic development of Bangladesh depends on working ability of whole population of this country, although Bangladesh is not developed in health status of its whole population. A large percentage of people live in rural areas without any proper shelter. This study revealed the environmental development and health safety system in rural areas of Bangladesh, which is located in Noakhali and Lakshmipur districts of Bangladesh. Many sections were studied, which are the main structure of environmental development and health safety system of southeastern region of Bangladesh. The study found that there were three types of handicraft enterprises in the surveyed area such as handicraft input, like palm leaf, factories, Betel nut businesses, and Coconut businesses were headed and owned by the women and they were unaware of their health, environment and waste management or reduction of pollution. This study also reveals that microentrepreneurs did not ensure purified water supply and hygienic toilets within enterprises in the study area. The study also found that a significant portion of the microentrepreneurs are workers, and their family members were always fewer users of protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study identified that most MEs faced transport or carrying facilities or big costing problems, including problems in available services for raw materials in the high category. In contrast, the high cost of transport facilities was very intensive in the study area. Moreover, it found that Microentrepreneurs (MEs) faced high product marketing costs for transport facilities, and a lack of proper pricing of the products in the study area. In addition, it explored that most of the microentrepreneurs did not receive sufficient credit support, and they faced negative attitudes and delayed responses from the credit services providers in the study area. It also found that the majority of the microentrepreneurs argued that capital support, loan, aid, technological assistance, infrastructural assistance, availability of skilled labor forces, availability of raw materials, and getting the government assistance and services were the major reasons for the highest growth of the enterprises in the study area. In addition, entire MEs had no knowledge and understanding of climate change in the study area. It is worth mentioning that MEs were not aware of climate change and its impacts on nature in the handicrafts sector and in their daily lives. A significant portion of the MEs took safety measures against risk and protected themselves and workers within the enterprises in the study area. MEs had various demands such as infrastructural development, economic assistance (/aid/loan/grants/financial), training and development, assistance for environment development, and machinery assistance for promoting their business. MEs argued that the implementation of their suggestion is the key to improve the current situation of the enterprises. The MEs suggested appointing expert workers, ensuring quality inputs, training workers and reserving products carefully.