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DoE shuts down seven tanneries to stop polluting river

Stop dumping of tannery waste into the Dhaleshwari


Bangladeshpost
Published : 02 Mar 2022 07:55 PM

It is good to note that the Department of Environment (DoE) on Tuesday shut seven tanneries factories and disconnected electricity, and water lines for allegedly releasing liquid waste into the Dhaleshwari river violating a High Court order. Tannery waste management has been a serious problem since the inception of tannery industry in Bangladesh. Tanneries of capital’s Hazaribagh polluted the Buriganga and adjacent areas for a long time. However, in the face of a huge public outcry, the tanneries of Dhaka’s Hazaribagh were relocated to Savar. The consequences of such relocation has been paradoxical as the shifting yet has rarely been able to bear fruit. On top of that, the waste generated in Savar tannery estate has been contaminating Dhaleshwari river and jeopardising the environment and public health in the area. 

Reports say that more than 20,000 people in the area are being subjected to severe pollution by the newly relocated tanneries. There are allegations of keeping tannery wastes under the open sky and a vast area inside the estate is littered with tannery waste. Local people and tannery workers are being affected with various diseases, especially skin diseases.


Authorities concerned should take necessary steps to 

reinvigorate the waste disposal, waste treatment and 

waste management system of Savar tannery estate


It is disconcerting to note that the Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) of Savar tannery estate is not functioning properly even after a long time of its inauguration and thus the entire exercise of the relocation has come under question due to its unplanned waste management.  According to media sources, the Tannery Industrial Estate has the capacity to treat around 25,000 cubic metres of liquid waste every day, but the tanners generate around 40,000 cubic metres of liquid waste per day. That means 15,000 cubic metres are dumped into the Dhaleshwari River without any treatment. Considering the inefficacy of CETP, last year the parliamentary standing committee on the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change recommended to shut down the Savar Tannery Industrial Estate.

Considering all above, necessary measures should be devised immediately to prevent unplanned dumping of tannery waste into the Dhaleshwari river and adjacent areas. There is a need for developing a strategic and legal framework to manage the wastes of the tanneries. Authorities concerned must take necessary steps to reinvigorate the waste disposal, waste treatment and waste management system of Savar tannery estate. CETP's capacity to treat all kinds of tannery wastes must be enhanced. For solid waste dumping, separate dumping stations should be built in no time.