Long-term action plan to prevent environmental pollution in Narayanganj, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh

The Department of Environment (DOE) of Bangladesh has taken up the activities of Narayanganj as a model to prevent environmental pollution. For this purpose, the Department will implement short, medium, and long-term action plans.

This program will start in 2023 and will continue until 2040. If the model plan to prevent environmental pollution in Narayanganj will successfully implement, it will continue in other districts around Dhaka. This information is known from the sources of the DOE.

It is also known that a recommendation came from the Parliamentary Committee on the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bangladesh, to take steps to prevent environmental pollution by modeling Narayanganj.

In its 25th meeting, the committee recommended that a joint plan formulates in partnership with the Narayanganj City Corporation and local civil society. Given this, the Department of Environment has prepared a draft action plan.

Department of Environment has created a draft action plan as Priority-based one-year (January-December 2023), short-term (two years—January 2024 to December 2025), medium-term (5 years—January 2026 to December 2030), and long-term (10 years—January 2031 to December 2040) action plans.

According to sources from the Department of Environment and the Parliamentary Committee, the draft action plan will finalize in consultation with the Narayanganj City Corporation and the local administration. It will implement next year.

When asked about this, Kazi Abu Taher, Additional Director General of the Department of Environment said he heard the discussion in the parliamentary committee meeting. However, he hadn’t disclosed anything in detail about it.

Mizanur Rahman, Additional Secretary of Environmental Pollution Control Division of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bangladesh, said,

‘’We are taking an action plan to prevent environmental pollution in Narayanganj on the advice of the parliamentary committee. We hope to start planning at the beginning of next year. If it is successful, similar programs will be up elsewhere.’’

Saber Hossain Chowdhury, President of the parliamentary Committee, said, ‘’The DOe had drafted an action plan to prevent environmental pollution in Narayanganj. It will finalize in consultation with Narayanganj City Mayor. If it implements successfully, such an action plan will take in other districts around Dhaka.’’

The Priority Action Plan formulated by the DOE includes—

• Formation of sub/district committees to prevent river pollution,
• Identification of types and sources of river pollution,
• Identification of factories without environmental clearance,
• Identification of industrial plants without ETP,
• Formulation of recommendations against polluting factories and establishing sewage treatment plants in city corporation areas so that sewage is not discharged untreated into the Shitalakshya river.
• Identification of the type and source of air pollution,
• Identification of air polluting factories and making recommendations against them,
• Identification of the type and source of pollution by solid waste,
• Identification of unplanned solid waste dumping sites,
• Making recommendations for taking necessary measures by the institutions responsible for solid waste management.
• Updating the list of illegal brick kilns in coordination with the district administration and environment department,
• Conducting regular mobile courts to stop illegal brick kilns,
• Ensuring environment-friendly management of medical waste,
• Identifying noise-polluting establishments/establishments and making recommendations against noise-polluting factories/establishments
• Identification of persons/organizations/establishments filling reservoirs,
• Closure of banned polythene bags,
• Identification of prohibited polythene manufacturing factories,
• Identification of prohibited polythene manufacturing factories,
• Identification of prohibited polythene selling/stocking market areas,
• legal action will take against the culprits.
• For greening, all the industrial establishments have to issue environmental clearances,
• Plantation of forest/water/medicinal trees in the empty spaces/boundary areas of industrial areas,
• Arrangement of tree plantations in all educational institutions,
• Organizing workshops to create awareness on pollution prevention,
• Conservation of biodiversity.

In the medium term,

• Measures should take against factories without environmental clearance and ETP, appropriate monitoring, construction of sewage treatment plants by City Corporation,
• Taking legal measures including recovery of compensation against air polluting companies,
• Use of block bricks in government construction,
• Ensuring environment-friendly management of medical waste,
• Legal action and recovery of compensation against those responsible for noise pollution,
• Action and recovery of compensation against companies/individuals filling reservoirs,
• Banning of polythene bags,
• Taking legal action against manufacturers, suppliers, and sellers,
• Declaring polythene-free market,
• Bringing under greening industries and public/private institutions under tree plantation.

In the long term,

• Raids/filing cases/ disconnection of services in factories without environmental clearance and ETP,
• Online ETP monitor,
• Setting up a laboratory at the Narayanganj district office to stop river pollution
• Implementation of projects to ensure that sewage of city corporation does not fall untreated in cold storage,
• Continued action against air polluting establishments as well as disconnection of services,
• Establishment of air quality testing labs Taking up projects in solid waste management,
• Ensuring the use of block bricks in all cases,
• Taking legal action against the concerned institutions if the medical waste environment is not compliant, filing lawsuits, and disconnecting services.