Dhaka, April 8 -- Bangladesh has called for collective regional action to tackle plastic pollution in the rivers and seas of South Asia.

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Secretary Farhina Ahmed made the call at a high-level roundtable panel discussion on "Policy and Regulatory Challenges of Managing Plastic Waste" in Sri Lanka's Colombo on Monday, according to a statement from the ministry.

She said, "South Asia is home to some of the world's important river systems. Plastic from across the border accumulates in the water bodies here and threatens the ecosystem and subsistence.

"Addressing this problem requires an integrated regional strategy-one that includes cooperation, innovation and sustainable finance."

The environment sec...