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Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

E

Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

E

Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

E

Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

E

Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

E

Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

E

Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

E

Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

E

Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

E

Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

E

Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

E

Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

E

Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

E

Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

E

Living Heritage of Commerce in Ancient City - Iraq

Amidst the rapid modernization of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil’s traditional markets remain the resilient pulse of the city’s cultural identity. Every Friday, the Bird Market and the 'Loka' (second-hand) market transform into a living gallery of history and human interaction. This photo series documents the preservation of ancestral commerce, where collectors of antiquities and breeders of rare birds sustain a social fabric that predates the city’s modern skyline. These markets are not merely commercial spaces, but sanctuaries of nostalgia and communal memory in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Photo by Othman Sabur Rashid/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Environmental Pollution In Bangladesh

October 02, 2025, Dhaka, Bangladesh: The rivers and canals around Dhaka were once vital sanctuaries of biodiversity. Countless fish swam in their waters, serving as the main food source for fish-eating birds. But now that scene belongs to the past. What was once clear water is now occupied by heaps of garbage. Plastic, polythene, industrial waste, and household trash have severely polluted the water. Faced with a food crisis, fish-eating egrets are being forced to search for food in these piles of waste. Their natural food—fish—is no longer easily available, compelling them to look for alternatives. In Bangladesh, the filling up of rivers and wetlands, illegal encroachment, and plastic pollution together are pushing aquatic ecosystems towards destruction. These wetlands once provided shelter to thousands of native and migratory birds. But in recent years, their numbers have sharply declined. From the haors to Dhaka’s Turag and Balu rivers and other wetlands, the picture is the same: encroachment, landfilling,

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Environmental Pollution In Bangladesh

October 02, 2025, Dhaka, Bangladesh: The rivers and canals around Dhaka were once vital sanctuaries of biodiversity. Countless fish swam in their waters, serving as the main food source for fish-eating birds. But now that scene belongs to the past. What was once clear water is now occupied by heaps of garbage. Plastic, polythene, industrial waste, and household trash have severely polluted the water. Faced with a food crisis, fish-eating egrets are being forced to search for food in these piles of waste. Their natural food—fish—is no longer easily available, compelling them to look for alternatives. In Bangladesh, the filling up of rivers and wetlands, illegal encroachment, and plastic pollution together are pushing aquatic ecosystems towards destruction. These wetlands once provided shelter to thousands of native and migratory birds. But in recent years, their numbers have sharply declined. From the haors to Dhaka’s Turag and Balu rivers and other wetlands, the picture is the same: encroachment, landfilling,

E

Environmental Pollution In Bangladesh

October 02, 2025, Dhaka, Bangladesh: The rivers and canals around Dhaka were once vital sanctuaries of biodiversity. Countless fish swam in their waters, serving as the main food source for fish-eating birds. But now that scene belongs to the past. What was once clear water is now occupied by heaps of garbage. Plastic, polythene, industrial waste, and household trash have severely polluted the water. Faced with a food crisis, fish-eating egrets are being forced to search for food in these piles of waste. Their natural food—fish—is no longer easily available, compelling them to look for alternatives. In Bangladesh, the filling up of rivers and wetlands, illegal encroachment, and plastic pollution together are pushing aquatic ecosystems towards destruction. These wetlands once provided shelter to thousands of native and migratory birds. But in recent years, their numbers have sharply declined. From the haors to Dhaka’s Turag and Balu rivers and other wetlands, the picture is the same: encroachment, landfilling,

E

Environmental Pollution In Bangladesh

October 02, 2025, Dhaka, Bangladesh: The rivers and canals around Dhaka were once vital sanctuaries of biodiversity. Countless fish swam in their waters, serving as the main food source for fish-eating birds. But now that scene belongs to the past. What was once clear water is now occupied by heaps of garbage. Plastic, polythene, industrial waste, and household trash have severely polluted the water. Faced with a food crisis, fish-eating egrets are being forced to search for food in these piles of waste. Their natural food—fish—is no longer easily available, compelling them to look for alternatives. In Bangladesh, the filling up of rivers and wetlands, illegal encroachment, and plastic pollution together are pushing aquatic ecosystems towards destruction. These wetlands once provided shelter to thousands of native and migratory birds. But in recent years, their numbers have sharply declined. From the haors to Dhaka’s Turag and Balu rivers and other wetlands, the picture is the same: encroachment, landfilling,

E

Environmental Pollution In Bangladesh

October 02, 2025, Dhaka, Bangladesh: The rivers and canals around Dhaka were once vital sanctuaries of biodiversity. Countless fish swam in their waters, serving as the main food source for fish-eating birds. But now that scene belongs to the past. What was once clear water is now occupied by heaps of garbage. Plastic, polythene, industrial waste, and household trash have severely polluted the water. Faced with a food crisis, fish-eating egrets are being forced to search for food in these piles of waste. Their natural food—fish—is no longer easily available, compelling them to look for alternatives. In Bangladesh, the filling up of rivers and wetlands, illegal encroachment, and plastic pollution together are pushing aquatic ecosystems towards destruction. These wetlands once provided shelter to thousands of native and migratory birds. But in recent years, their numbers have sharply declined. From the haors to Dhaka’s Turag and Balu rivers and other wetlands, the picture is the same: encroachment, landfilling,

E

Environmental Pollution In Bangladesh

October 02, 2025, Dhaka, Bangladesh: The rivers and canals around Dhaka were once vital sanctuaries of biodiversity. Countless fish swam in their waters, serving as the main food source for fish-eating birds. But now that scene belongs to the past. What was once clear water is now occupied by heaps of garbage. Plastic, polythene, industrial waste, and household trash have severely polluted the water. Faced with a food crisis, fish-eating egrets are being forced to search for food in these piles of waste. Their natural food—fish—is no longer easily available, compelling them to look for alternatives. In Bangladesh, the filling up of rivers and wetlands, illegal encroachment, and plastic pollution together are pushing aquatic ecosystems towards destruction. These wetlands once provided shelter to thousands of native and migratory birds. But in recent years, their numbers have sharply declined. From the haors to Dhaka’s Turag and Balu rivers and other wetlands, the picture is the same: encroachment, landfilling,

E

Environmental Pollution In Bangladesh

October 02, 2025, Dhaka, Bangladesh: The rivers and canals around Dhaka were once vital sanctuaries of biodiversity. Countless fish swam in their waters, serving as the main food source for fish-eating birds. But now that scene belongs to the past. What was once clear water is now occupied by heaps of garbage. Plastic, polythene, industrial waste, and household trash have severely polluted the water. Faced with a food crisis, fish-eating egrets are being forced to search for food in these piles of waste. Their natural food—fish—is no longer easily available, compelling them to look for alternatives. In Bangladesh, the filling up of rivers and wetlands, illegal encroachment, and plastic pollution together are pushing aquatic ecosystems towards destruction. These wetlands once provided shelter to thousands of native and migratory birds. But in recent years, their numbers have sharply declined. From the haors to Dhaka’s Turag and Balu rivers and other wetlands, the picture is the same: encroachment, landfilling,

E

Environmental Pollution In Bangladesh

October 02, 2025, Dhaka, Bangladesh: The rivers and canals around Dhaka were once vital sanctuaries of biodiversity. Countless fish swam in their waters, serving as the main food source for fish-eating birds. But now that scene belongs to the past. What was once clear water is now occupied by heaps of garbage. Plastic, polythene, industrial waste, and household trash have severely polluted the water. Faced with a food crisis, fish-eating egrets are being forced to search for food in these piles of waste. Their natural food—fish—is no longer easily available, compelling them to look for alternatives. In Bangladesh, the filling up of rivers and wetlands, illegal encroachment, and plastic pollution together are pushing aquatic ecosystems towards destruction. These wetlands once provided shelter to thousands of native and migratory birds. But in recent years, their numbers have sharply declined. From the haors to Dhaka’s Turag and Balu rivers and other wetlands, the picture is the same: encroachment, landfilling,

E

Environmental Pollution In Bangladesh

October 02, 2025, Dhaka, Bangladesh: The rivers and canals around Dhaka were once vital sanctuaries of biodiversity. Countless fish swam in their waters, serving as the main food source for fish-eating birds. But now that scene belongs to the past. What was once clear water is now occupied by heaps of garbage. Plastic, polythene, industrial waste, and household trash have severely polluted the water. Faced with a food crisis, fish-eating egrets are being forced to search for food in these piles of waste. Their natural food—fish—is no longer easily available, compelling them to look for alternatives. In Bangladesh, the filling up of rivers and wetlands, illegal encroachment, and plastic pollution together are pushing aquatic ecosystems towards destruction. These wetlands once provided shelter to thousands of native and migratory birds. But in recent years, their numbers have sharply declined. From the haors to Dhaka’s Turag and Balu rivers and other wetlands, the picture is the same: encroachment, landfilling,

E

Environmental Pollution In Bangladesh

October 02, 2025, Dhaka, Bangladesh: The rivers and canals around Dhaka were once vital sanctuaries of biodiversity. Countless fish swam in their waters, serving as the main food source for fish-eating birds. But now that scene belongs to the past. What was once clear water is now occupied by heaps of garbage. Plastic, polythene, industrial waste, and household trash have severely polluted the water. Faced with a food crisis, fish-eating egrets are being forced to search for food in these piles of waste. Their natural food—fish—is no longer easily available, compelling them to look for alternatives. In Bangladesh, the filling up of rivers and wetlands, illegal encroachment, and plastic pollution together are pushing aquatic ecosystems towards destruction. These wetlands once provided shelter to thousands of native and migratory birds. But in recent years, their numbers have sharply declined. From the haors to Dhaka’s Turag and Balu rivers and other wetlands, the picture is the same: encroachment, landfilling,

E

Environmental Pollution In Bangladesh

October 02, 2025, Dhaka, Bangladesh: The rivers and canals around Dhaka were once vital sanctuaries of biodiversity. Countless fish swam in their waters, serving as the main food source for fish-eating birds. But now that scene belongs to the past. What was once clear water is now occupied by heaps of garbage. Plastic, polythene, industrial waste, and household trash have severely polluted the water. Faced with a food crisis, fish-eating egrets are being forced to search for food in these piles of waste. Their natural food—fish—is no longer easily available, compelling them to look for alternatives. In Bangladesh, the filling up of rivers and wetlands, illegal encroachment, and plastic pollution together are pushing aquatic ecosystems towards destruction. These wetlands once provided shelter to thousands of native and migratory birds. But in recent years, their numbers have sharply declined. From the haors to Dhaka’s Turag and Balu rivers and other wetlands, the picture is the same: encroachment, landfilling,

E

Coming-of-age rites for Japan Prince Hisahito

A state carriage carrying Japanese Prince Hisahito heads to the Imperial Palace Sanctuaries in Tokyo during his coming-of-age rites on Sept. 6, 2025.

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Coming-of-age rites for Japan Prince Hisahito

A state carriage carrying Japanese Prince Hisahito heads to the Imperial Palace Sanctuaries in Tokyo during his coming-of-age rites on Sept. 6, 2025.

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Coming-of-age rites for Japan Prince Hisahito

A state carriage carrying Japanese Prince Hisahito heads to the Imperial Palace Sanctuaries in Tokyo during his coming-of-age rites on Sept. 6, 2025.

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Coming-of-age rites for Japan Prince Hisahito

A state carriage carrying Japanese Prince Hisahito heads to the Imperial Palace Sanctuaries in Tokyo during his coming-of-age rites on Sept. 6, 2025.

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Coming-of-age rites for Japan Prince Hisahito

A state carriage carrying Japanese Prince Hisahito heads to the Imperial Palace Sanctuaries in Tokyo during his coming-of-age rites on Sept. 6, 2025.

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Coming-of-age rites for Japan Prince Hisahito

A state carriage carrying Japanese Prince Hisahito heads to the Imperial Palace Sanctuaries in Tokyo during his coming-of-age rites on Sept. 6, 2025.

E

Coming-of-age rites for Japan Prince Hisahito

A state carriage carrying Japanese Prince Hisahito heads to the Imperial Palace Sanctuaries in Tokyo during his coming-of-age rites on Sept. 6, 2025.

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Coming-of-age rites for Japan Prince Hisahito

Japanese Prince Hisahito, in black-colored adult ceremonial attire, heads to the Imperial Palace Sanctuaries in Tokyo during his coming-of-age rites on Sept. 6, 2025.

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Coming-of-age rites for Japan Prince Hisahito

Japanese Prince Hisahito (C), in black-colored adult ceremonial attire, heads to the Imperial Palace Sanctuaries in Tokyo during his coming-of-age rites on Sept. 6, 2025.

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Coming-of-age rites for Japan Prince Hisahito

A state carriage carrying Japanese Prince Hisahito heads to the Imperial Palace Sanctuaries in Tokyo during his coming-of-age rites on Sept. 6, 2025.

E

Coming-of-age rites for Japan Prince Hisahito

A state carriage carrying Japanese Prince Hisahito heads to the Imperial Palace Sanctuaries in Tokyo during his coming-of-age rites on Sept. 6, 2025.

E

Coming-of-age rites for Japan Prince Hisahito

A state carriage carrying Japanese Prince Hisahito heads to the Imperial Palace Sanctuaries in Tokyo during his coming-of-age rites on Sept. 6, 2025.

E

Coming-of-age rites for Japan Prince Hisahito

A state carriage carrying Japanese Prince Hisahito heads to the Imperial Palace Sanctuaries in Tokyo during his coming-of-age rites on Sept. 6, 2025.