Dhaka: The government has promulgated the ‘Bangladesh Haor and Wetland Conservation Ordinance, 2026’ as part of its measures to protect the country’s ecological balance and conserve haors and wetlands.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the new ordinance strengthens the Haor and Wetland Development Directorate and introduces strict penalties, including imprisonment and heavy fines, for encroachment, land filling, and environmental damage in haor and wetland areas. The directorate has been given clearly defined responsibilities, and the government will publish a final gazette of haors and wetlands based on lists prepared by deputy commissioners.
A master plan will be developed to ensure protection and integrated management of wetlands, with mandatory consultation with the directorate before initiating any development project. The ordinance also allows the government to designate any haor or wetland as a protected area if special conservation is necessary, following advice from relevant authorities.
The law stipulates that those found illegally occupying haor land, filling wetlands, conducting unauthorized excavation, or constructing infrastructure that disrupts the natural flow of wetland water will face up to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to Tk 10 lakh, or both. Similar penalties apply to anyone extracting natural resources without permission.
Additional offenses, such as using banned fishing methods, hunting migratory birds, or destroying swamp forests in haor areas, will incur punishments of up to two years’ jail and fines up to Tk 500,000. Disruption of fish breeding due to resource extraction could lead to one year’s imprisonment or a fine of up to Tk 500,000.
To address pollution, individuals causing water or soil contamination in haor areas will be subject to up to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to Tk 200,000. Violations of protection orders or restrictions in declared protected areas may result in up to two years’ jail and fines ranging from Tk 500,000 to Tk 10,0000.
The director general of the directorate is authorized to assess and mandate recovery measures for any damage to the wetland ecosystem and ensure compliance with restoration directives.