Country must be protected from hazardous waste dumping: Environment Advisor, Bangladesh
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Advisor on Environment, Forests and Climate Change, urges strict environmental laws and accountability in the shipbreaking industry to stop Bangladesh from becoming a hazardous waste dumping ground.
She said that if urgent reforms are not made, Bangladesh will become a global dumping ground for hazardous waste.
She spoke at a workshop on “National Regulatory Framework for Ship Recycling and Hazardous Waste Management in Bangladesh” at the Hotel InterContinental in Dhaka recently.
The Environment Advisor emphasized the humanitarian and environmental harm from the shipbreaking industry, stating it cannot continue if it endangers human lives. The High Court has ordered a ban on shipbreaking activities in tidal areas, which should be included in national policy.
She also said, “If this industry does not comply with international standards, then there is no reason to sustain it. I am ready to work with the Ministry of Industries to protect Bangladesh from the spread of toxic waste and ensure the safety of workers.”
Rizwana Hossain said that workers in the shipbreaking industry are at serious risk. Yet they do not have adequate security. Foreign buyers in the garment industry uphold labor standards, while shipbreaking industry owners neglect their responsibilities.
The advisor stressed that a pollution liability policy is crucial; without enforcement of environmental laws, the industry will only claim to be “greening.”
European companies register ships in the names of small island nations and send them to Bangladesh. Would any European country allow shipbreaking on the seashore? Then why this discrimination in Bangladesh?
She raised concerns about how the Ministry of Industries, Bangladesh, could permit shipbreaking when it clearly contravenes environmental regulations. She said that some shipyards are still operating without valid environmental clearances, where a worker was seriously injured recently. The safety of workers must be ensured. It is important to implement the Bangladesh High Court’s directives to protect the environment.
The event also featured Adilur Rahman Khan, Advisor to the Ministry of Industries and Housing of Bangladesh; Zakia Sultana, Secretary of the Ministry of Industries, Bangladesh; and Haakon Arald Gulbrandsen, Ambassador of Norway to Bangladesh.
