The APN-funded project CRRP2021-09MY-Rashid (2023–2025) addressed transboundary microplastic (MP) pollution in the Brahmaputra-Jamuna River and its upper tributaries, a critical waterway spanning Bhutan, India, and Bangladesh, transporting millions of MPs daily to the Bay of Bengal. South Asia’s second-highest global plastic emissions underscore the urgency, with MPs threatening aquatic food chains, fish health, and human diets. Led by Bangladesh Agricultural University (Bangladesh), the collaboration included Assam Agricultural University (India), Royal University of Bhutan, and University of North Carolina Wilmington (USA).
The objectives of this project were to:
- Quantify MPs in water/sediments/fish across upper (Bhutan tributaries: Harachhu, Manas, Toorsa), middle (India: Tuting–Dhubri), and lower (Bangladesh: Kurigram–Humuria) stretches
- Assess invertebrate ingestion linking to water pollution
- Unravel trophic transfer and fish physiological stresses via in vivo exposures
- Evaluate human dietary risks through surveys
- Formulate policy remedies
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