The government plans to roll out a targeted initiative in seven haor districts to curb the harmful effects of pesticide use on fish, livestock and biodiversity, according to an internal document from the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.

The districts – Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Netrokona, Kishoreganj and Brahmanbaria – contain most of Bangladesh’s haor wetlands and support large-scale Boro rice cultivation.

Confirming the plan, Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter said the haor region was prioritised because, with the Boro season approaching, the ecological risks in these areas were particularly acute. 

She noted pesticide use nationwide far exceeds actual agricultural demand, making immediate countrywide enforcement difficult. “Other districts will be included gradually.”

The haors supply a large share of the country’s Boro rice, making the region critical to national food security.

“Excessive or uncontrolled use of pesticides during the Boro season can leave harmful chemical residues in the rice, which is risky for fish and human health in the future,” said Borun Chandra Biswas, deputy director (fisheries resource conservation) at the Department of Fisheries

“Excessive or uncontrolled use of pesticides during the Boro season can leave harmful chemical residues in the rice, which is risky for fish and human health in the future,” said Borun Chandra Biswas, deputy director (fisheries resource conservation) at the Department of Fisheries.

Haors fill with water during the monsoon, allowing free movement of fish across vast wetlands. In the dry season, the land supports grazing livestock and rice cultivation. But Biswas said pesticide runoff has become a major concern.

“Around 25 percent of pesticides applied in fields are washed away by rainwater into nearby open water bodies,” he said, “with an estimated 15-20 percent remaining as residues.”

The impact is especially significant in the haor ecosystem, which supports about 22 percent of the country’s livestock and 24 percent of its ducks. Roughly 30 percent of total fish production in the seven haor-dominated districts comes from haor wetlands alone, Biswas said.

The initiative comes amid a sustained decline in fish production in the haors, alongside growing concerns over species loss.

Data from the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) and ministry officials show that fish harvests in flooded haor areas fell from about 2.31 lakh tonnes in the fiscal year 2011-12 to roughly 1.28 lakh tonnes in 2023-24, a drop of more than 1.03 lakh tonnes in just over a decade.

The decline has coincided with rising pesticide consumption nationwide. According to the Bangladesh Crop Protection Association, pesticide use increased from 33,370 tonnes in 2016 to 39,540 tonnes in 2021.

Scientists say biodiversity loss in the wetlands is already severe. Saokat Ahamed, a senior scientific officer at the BFRI, said around 133 fish species were once recorded in the haor region, but many are now at risk of extinction.

Critically endangered species include Bagha Air, Chenua and Bhangan Bata. Endangered species include Pabda, Chitol, Rita, Gozar and Koksha Boirali, while Chapila, Foli, Boal, Titputi, Guzi Air and Kuchia are considered vulnerable.

“Both natural and human-induced factors have contributed to the long-term decline in production,” Ahamed said.

Adviser Akhter said pesticide use is also undermining soil health, with beneficial organisms such as frogs, earthworms, insects and microorganisms rapidly declining.

Chemicals from agricultural fields flow into haors and other water bodies, causing toxicity that kills fish and aquatic life, disrupts reproduction and degrades ecosystems, she added.

Under the new programme, the government plans to impose stricter controls on pesticide application through district- and upazila-level committees.

The ministry document says pesticide containers will be required to carry clear usage instructions in Bangla, while training and awareness campaigns will be conducted among farmers in haor-dominated areas.

Officials said regulations governing pesticide use already exist, including rules on residual periods – the mandatory waiting time before crops can be harvested safely.

In practice, however, farmers frequently ignore these guidelines, often harvesting and selling produce on the same day pesticides are applied, largely due to lack of awareness.

Bangladesh has 373 haors spread across 47 upazilas in seven districts, covering nearly 263,000 hectares, according to BFRI data.