Journal of Climate Change, Disaster Risk and Resilience Studies
Comprehensive Analysis of Pollution at Cox's Bazar Sea Beach, Bangladesh: Sources, Impacts, and Integrated Management Strategies
Abstract
Bappadipta Mondal
Cox's Bazar Sea Beach faces a severe, multi-faceted pollution crisis. Plastic and solid waste pollution is extreme, with over 34 tons dumped daily, creating microplastic hotspots and harming marine life like sea turtles and ghost crabs. Water quality is degraded by untreated sewage, nutrient loading, and heavy metal contamination, posing health and ecological risks. Air pollution is severe, with PM2.5 levels 16 times above WHO guidelines, and noise pollution at major intersections exceeds safe limits. These interconnected pollution types of stem from tourism pressure, inadequate waste management, fisheries, and urban runoff, collectively threatening the coastal ecosystem, public health, and the local economy.