Tanneries at Saver in Bangladesh recommended closing to control the Environmental pollutions
The untreated waste of the newly established Tannery and Leather industrial zone at Saver, Bangladesh, pollutes the Dhaleshwari River largely. Though it set up the waste treatment plants in the industrial area, it does not work properly, and untreated waste liquids are discharging directly into the river Dhaleshwari and continuously pollute the river. Due to poor waste management, the Parliamentary Committee on Environment has recommended that the leather industrial area of Savar be closed for the time being. The recommendation came during a meeting at Parliament House by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, Bangladesh (MoEFCC).
According to the parliamentary committee, if proper environmental pollution and waste management measures will take adequately, then the Tanneries industrial zone in Savar can run.
Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Chairperson of the parliamentary standing committee, said, “The decision came after the visit of a parliamentary committee in the Tanneries industrial zone at Saver and assessed the situation.”
“Waste production in the Savar Tannery zone exceeds its treatment capacity of the current waste management system. It charged fines at various times. However, it has not brought any improvement. That is why we had to recommend for a halt,” he continued.
The ministry informed the parliamentary committee that the Savar Tannery industrial zone generates 40,000 cubic meters of waste per day, with a waste management capacity of around 25 thousand cubic meters. In other words, 15,000 cubic meters of waste are mixing into the environment every day. In the last three years, 18.4 million cubic meters of waste remained unmanaged.
Saber Chowdhuryfurther said, “Only liquid waste management systems are available in Savar. There is no system for managing solid waste. Solid waste products in the Tannery industries contained a much heavy metal and chromium waste, mixing in the Dhaleshwari River. The tannery was brought from Hazaribagh to Savar to reduce pollution. However, the pollution has not decreased at all.”
“The committee has also recommended not need to renew the environmental clearance to operate the tannery every year,” he added.
In 2003, Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) set up a Tannery industrial zone at Hemayetpur in Savar to promote it in an international standard environment.
In the meantime, the Ministry of Industries (Bangladesh), keeps setting a deadline for relocating the tanneries without ensuring any benefits to the industrial zone. Nevertheless, the tannery owners refused to relocate. To handle the situation, the honorable high court ordered disconnecting the gas, water, and electricity connection of Hazaribagh factories.
Finally, the tanneries were forced to relocate from Dhaka Hazari bug in April 2017 following a court order.
It initially proposed that each tannery set up effluents treatment plants (ETPs) separately to treat its waste individually. However, as the tanneries did not do so, the Ministry of Industries, Bangladesh, under its project, decided to set up Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP). After the revision, the project’s budget increased to Tk.5450 million (Tk.85= USD 1.00).
Before the completion of the various components of the CETP, 130 industries started their production.
As a result, waste and polluted liquid used to be mixed in the water of Buriganga river in Hazaribagh, now mixing in the Dhaleshwari River in Savar.
Regarding the parliamentary committee’s recommendation, BSCIC chairman Mushtaq Hasan said, “I will be able to say about this after getting official information from the ministry.”
