Despite increasing pollution across Bangladesh, the number of cases filed by the Department of Environment (DoE) at the Environment Court in Dhaka remains low, with only 115 cases currently under trial. In contrast, there are 9,689 civil and criminal cases being handled by the court.

According to the 2024 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), Bangladesh ranks fourth from the bottom globally, with a score of 23.10 points. This poor performance comes despite the annual observance of World Environment Day, which was marked on June 5 with the theme "Will restore land, prevent desertification."

Since the enactment of the Environment Court Act in 2002, the number of environmental cases has seen a significant decline. Only 161 cases were filed between 2012 and 2023, compared to 426 cases from 2003 to 2011. The decline in environmental cases is attributed to a lack of public awareness and the ability of the DoE to impose penalties directly without court intervention.

Under the revised environmental laws, individuals and organizations can now file cases directly, a provision not widely known among the public. Assistant Public Prosecutor Jane Alam noted that while the number of court cases is low, the DoE continues to issue fines for various environmental violations.

The penalties for environmental offenses have been increased significantly. For example, illegal production of polythene can result in a fine of up to Tk2 lakh or two years of imprisonment for a first offense. Repeated offenses can lead to more severe penalties, including longer prison terms and higher fines.