Socio-economic and Environmental Impact of Underground Stone Collection on the Community People of Panchagarh District in Bangladesh

Abstract

In most countries of the world, underground mining resources are considered as important contributors to economic development. But quite often these works cause a lot of damage to the environment and put many lives under threat. In the northern part of Bangladesh, there are huge quantities of stones stored beneath the surface in some districts. Local people collect these stones and sell and supply them to different places for construction and development work. There are about 8 crore and 9 lac cubic feet of underground stones in the Panchagarh district of Bangladesh. The local businesspersons give the landowners a nominal amount of money and collect these stones under their own management. They appoint hundreds of labourers in collecting; supplying and transporting stones; as a result many people get the opportunity to work there. Unplanned and unrestricted digging, picking, raising, collection and storage of stones make the local and natural environment vulnerable. Man in earlier times believed in the ‘nature-nurture’concept. However, during the past fifty years, relation between man and environment have changed considerably. At present, open and competetive ecnomic growth causes environmental ruins that threatens human lives and their existence. Considering the natural environmental loss (loss of cultivable land due to soil digging) eco-social decays (loss of homesteads) and growing social problems (family disorganizations, drugs etc.), the researcher chose this important area of study to measure the socio-economic and environmental impact of underground stone collection at Panchagarh district. The present study is an exploratory one based on sample survey, where the researcher has tried to show the economic, social and environmental impact of underground stone collection by using different methods of data

collection. The study was conducted in the farthest district of Bangladesh-Panchagarh. The researcher chose eight villages using multistage sampling method and the inhabitants of the study villages were considered as the population/universe of the study. The study focused on these priority themes- (i) Assessment of socio-economic impact of underground stone collection; (ii) Tracing the environmental changes that occurred after starting the underground stone collection and its effects; (iii) To know the people’s attitude regarding stone collection; (iv) Detecting opportunities for socio-economic and environmental development; and (v) Policy making for underground stone collection. First, multistage sampling method was used to select the study villages. Applying multistage sampling method among the five Upazilas of Panchagarh District; two Upazilas; and two Unions from the two Upazilas; and from the four Unions eight villages were selected for the study. Second, stratified sampling method was used to collect data from different categories of respondent. Following stratified sampling method the researcher was selected four categories of people: (I) Stone labourers; (II) Stone Businessmen; (III) Land Sellers; and (IV) General People. A total of 317 respondents were considered as the sample of the study in accordance with the method of purposive sampling. Moreover, 50 persons were included as the key informants among the local leaders, agricultural officers, UNO, fishery officers, NGO personnel and representatives of local government. Data was collected from the sample through interview schedules. For collecting data, observation method was used along with interview. Data and information were also collected from secondary sources as required along with data and information collected through field survey. The researcher also conducted two FGDs along with field survey and observation. Data, collected through interview, were analyzed with the help of the SPSS and Excel computer programmes.

By analyzing the demographic data of the respondents, it was seen that the lion’s share of the respondents (89%) were between the age of 20-59 years and 40.7% of the respondents were illiterate. Most of the respondents (75.8%) were involved in collecting stones or in stone business for 1-10 years. It was revealed from the study that 32.5% of the respondents were involved in agricultural activity before becoming involved in this profession. After analyzing the socio-economic impact of underground stone collection, it was seen that for 87.7% of the respondents, their income had increased after they had begun to collect stones and family condition of 36.7% of the respondents had improved after switching to this occupation. But, this study showed that the persons involved in collecting stones had to remain unemployed for about half of the year. It was also found from the study that 99.4% of the respondents held the view that the scope for employment increased and both the males and females had the scope of working there regardless of their gender since the beginning of stone collection. However, it was seen from the study that though the females did the works similar to males, they got 121.74 taka less per day than the male labourers on an average. Moreover, it was also seen from the study that a number of child labourers were also involved in stone collection; they were not facing other problems in their work place, but were getting 83.33 taka less per day on an average. From the study, it was found that average monthly income of the respondents was 9,595.41 Taka and the average monthly expenditure of the family was 7,329.24 Taka. Three quarters of the respondents opined that their social condition had improved since they got involved in collecting stones. The majority (52.1%) of the respondents opined that they got sufficient nutritious food. After the beginning of stone collection in the study area, the roads, housing, scope of business, rate of literacy, health facility, scope of work for the females, standard of living had increased. On the other hand, the researcher observed negative impact in some

sectors such as increase in child labour, decrease in agricultural production etc. Moreover, it was also seen from the study that there had not been any improvement in sectors like electrification, scope of entertainment and sanitation. It was observed in the study that though due to stone collection the socio-economic condition had developed, it has left some negative impacts on environment. As a result of stone collection, soil erosion, destruction of soil composition and loss of soil fertility had become very common. Moreover, 48.9% of the respondents held the view that the number of trees in the study area had decreased due to underground stone collection. It was observed from the study that stone collection had increased the number of unnecessary water bodies. It was also seen that the lion’s share (50.50%) of the respondents thought that air pollution had increased after the beginning of underground stone collection. By analyzing the environmental impact of underground stone collection, it was also found that 57.80% of the respondents had identified the underground stone collection as the main cause of decreasing soil fertility. Besides, the respondents thought that underground stone collection was responsible for river bank erosion, deforestation, sound pollution and so on. Though 91.8% respondents viewed that underground stone collection was the main cause of reduction in cultivable land, a majority of them (84.2%) supported underground stone collection. Among the respondents who had sold their land for stone collection, 64.7% had sold their cultivable land for stone collection and among them 98% respondents could not cultivate their land at the time of the interview. From the study, it was also seen that 95.2% of the respondents did not take government permission for collecting underground stone. Moreover, it was also observed that among the respondents involved in the stone business, 97.6% did not pay any tax or fee to the government. Among them, 51.2% thought that the government did not get any revenue

from this sector as there was no policy to address the issue. Again, 52.4% of the respondents did not support unplanned stone collection, and 85.2% of the respondents opined that development was possible by using the underground stone of this area. From the data obtained through observation method, it was found that 93.5% of the land from which stone was collected remained uneven and 71.8% of the land was unfit for cultivation in the present condition. It was also observed that the top soil was destroyed in the land from where the stone had been collected; and the land had also become sandy. Moreover, as underground stone collection destroyed the forests and in some areas the river banks, it might cause river bank erosion as well. Based on the data obtained in the study, some recommendations have been suggested in the last part of this thesis and most importance has been attached to adapting a government policy for the sector. By implementing the recommendations, the stone resources of the district of Panchagarh can be utilised in developing the area, which will make significant contribution to socio-economic development of the region as well as the country.