Leather industries in Bangladesh to be Eco-friendly to save it: Environment Minister, Bangladesh
Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Bangladesh, has called for the creation of a Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) in the Savar tannery estate, Dhaka, to make Bangladesh’s leather industry profitable.
He said, to save the leather industry, it should be made environment friendly. No discount will be given to anyone in this case.
He made these remarks during a speech as the chief guest at a national dialogue for greening the tannery and leather sector on May 19, 2024.
Saber Hossain said that to save the leather industry, environment-friendly investment should be increased. There will be no relaxation in quality standards in the leather industry. If the leather industry is not environmentally friendly, the export revenue target will not be met. If the river dies due to pollution, this loss will not be compensated by anything else.
BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) in water should be within 30 milligrams per liter (mg/L). The Dhaleshwari River has more than four times the water of it.
The concentration of heavy metals exceeds twice the allowable limit. It has the potential to cause cancer in humans. Who will take responsibility for these losses? Can’t play the blame game.
The minister said that the problem should be solved instead of being a part of it. The journey must be made anew. Mistakes serve as valuable lessons. Bangladesh wants to be a role model in many fields, including the leather industry as well. Making the economy eco-friendly is our priority. The government will provide necessary assistance.
Charles Whiteley, the EU ambassador in Bangladesh, Zakia Sultana, the senior secretary of the Ministry of Industry, and Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, the director of the Institute of Leather Engineering and Technology, Sanjay Kumar Bhowmik, Chairman of BCIC, Dr. Fahmida Khanam, Secretary of the MoFFCC, Bangladesh, Dr. Fahmida Khanam, Former Vice Chancellor of BRAC University and member of the Joint Rivers Commission Of Bangladesh,
also spoke at the event. Stakeholders from the tannery and leather industry, environmentalists, and government representatives gathered for the dialogue. They discussed proposals and recommendations to improve the industry’s environmental impact.
