Funded by: APN (Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research) (a Collaborative Regional Research Program, CRRP)
Project duration: July 2021 – June 2023
Project description:
Microplastics pollution in natural waters is a growing concern throughout the world. Rivers transport around 8 million pieces of plastics to our oceans every day. South Asia ranks 2nd globally in plastic pollution and three mighty rivers (Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy) transport most of them to the Bay of Bengal. Considering the huge volume of discharges and discards the Brahmaputra River (9th largest river in the world by water discharge) receives and transports to the sea, the proposed collaborative regional research program (CRRP) is aimed at investigating transboundary microplastics contaminations in fish & aquatic food chain along the course of this river, trophic transfer of microplastics and ecological consequences derived therefrom. During 1st year, fish, fish’s food, river water & sediment samples from 2 tributaries of the Brahmaputra in Bhutan, 5 locations in India and 3 locations in Bangladesh will be studied. Focus group discussions & key informant interviews will be performed along the corresponding sampling sites of this river to find out dietary habits of local people, their dietary dependency on riverine fish & implications of these findings to locals’ exposure risks. During 2nd year, fish & invertebrate species will be exposed in vivo to assess trophic transfer of microplastics in aquatic food chain & physiological stresses upon exposure. Expertise of the project team leader on ‘microplastics in fish’ and experience of team members in plastics pollution research will be instrumental.
By region, South Asia ranks second in the world in plastics pollution. Again, the Bay of Bengal (BOB, located south to Bangladesh and India) is fed, among many others, by three mighty rivers – the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Irrawaddy. These rivers bring huge amounts of the pollutants off some of the world’s most densely populated countries. Considering the huge volume of water transported by River Brahmaputra and long path of populated human settlements it passes through during its journey, the proposed project is designed with the following objectives.
(1) Detect and quantify microplastics pollution in water and sediment and ingestion by fish in the River Brahmaputra in its upper (tributaries in Bhutan), middle (India) and lower (Bangladesh) stretches.
(2) Investigate ingestion of microplastics by fish’s food (e.g. zooplankton & other invertebrates) and their relation with level of plastic pollution in the water.
(3) Unravel trophic transfer mechanisms of microplastics in the aquatic food chain in vivo and physiological stresses in fish elicit by microplastics ingestion and consequences on development, reproduction and life history stages of fish.
(4) Find out exposure risks of local people from consumption of riverine fishes through investigations of their dietary habits and dietary dependency on riverine fish.
(5) Furnish with policy recommendations for the Brahmaputra River countries suggesting actions for remedies of microplastics contamination to the river.
Research Team:
Team leader: Prof. Harunur Rashid, PhD, Department of Fisheries Management, Faculty of Fisheries, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Mymensingh, Bangladesh
Team members:
(1) Dr. Kizar Ahmed Sumon, Department of Fisheries Management, BAU, Bangladesh
(2) Dr. Rajdeep Dutta, College of Fisheries, Assam Agricultural University (AAU), India
(3) Dr. Utpal Kumar Das, College of Fisheries, AAU, India
(4) Ms. Yogeeta Dahal, Royal University of Bhutan, College of Natural Resources, Bhutan
(5) Ms. Ugyen Tshomo, National Environment Commission, Bhutan
(6) Prof. Dr. Md Shah Alam, Center for Marine Science, University of North Carolina Wilmington, USA