International Convention and Prevention of Marine Pollution: Heavy Metal Concentration in the Bay of Bengal

Author: Abu Hena Muhammad Yousuf
DOI: doi.org/10.70279/bmj-v5-i2-1019
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International convention on marine pollution provided less attention for the protection of the marine environment and of the high seas beyond coastal areas. The Stockholm Declaration on the Human Environment determined the concern regarding the whole marine environment, and emphatic reflection was done in the provisions of the Law of the Sea Convention. Eight heavy metals were analysed from both water and sediment samples of the Bay of Bengal (BoB). The decreasing trend of metals were observed in water samples: Zn (0.91±8.11) > Ni (0.78±0.72) > Cr (0.56±0.18) > Cu (0.16±0.24) > Pb (1.32±0.21) > As (1.14±0.95) > Hg (1.00±0.04) > Cd (0.07±0.03) μg/L and in sediment samples: Zn (46.53±23.57) > Cr (22.58±7.81) > Ni (21.17±12.17) > Pb (14.64±6.65) > Cu (13.04±8.19) > As (4.06±1.62) > Hg (0.03±0.02) > Cd (0.02±0.01) mg/kg. For the sustainability of the marine resources, the integration of Ecosystem Based Management and Marine Spatial Planning (EBM-MSP) provides a platform for different levels of governing bodies and stakeholders for the transparent, smooth and progressive decision-making process, that enables monitoring and surveillance in order to manage with future uncertain conditions.