January 1, 2002, saw the capital of Bangladesh nearly purged of polythene bags. This deadline was set by the government to ban the production, marketing and use of less than 20 micron, wafer-thin polybags in Dhaka. The country's environment and forests minister, Shahjahan Siraj, also made an impassioned plea to the city's denizens urging them to shun the use of plastic bags that had lately become an ecological hazard in the metropolis. Judging by their initial response, the people are taking the matter more seriously than just any other new year resolve.

For a city that has earned the dubious distinction of having the world's highest suspended particulate matter (spm) levels, ranking second in terms of lead pollution and where toxic waste is piling up at an alarming rate, this appears to be Dhaka's first step towards a safer environment. But it can at best be described as a modest measure.

The Khaleda Zia dispensation approved the environment ministry's proposal to prohibit plastic bags in Dhaka at a cabinet meeting on December 23, 2001. The nitty-gritty of the regulation had earlier been discussed in inter-ministerial meetings. Prior to this, the previous government had made futile attempts to check the rampant use of thin polybags in 1993 and 1999.

A phased enforcement of the ban will now be carried out all over Bangladesh. Siraj will table a Bill in this regard in the ensuing session of Parliament. The curbs will, however, not cover other plastic goods. It is felt that this is a vital issue left unaddressed. Abu Naser Khan, the secretary general of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (bpa), an activist organisation, says that there should be a wider set of guidelines governing plastic usage in the country. bpa and other such bodies are actively campaigning for a holistic plastic waste management policy, he adds. An Indian plastic industry expert who is attending the Ranganath Misra committee proceedings (see box: Ban and beyond)