Staff Reporter :
The tanneries relocated from the capital’s Hazaribagh area to Savar to save the Buriganga river, are now polluting another major river-the Dhaleshwari-putting its existence and biodiversity at stake, said experts.
The direct disposal of untreated liquid and solid wastes full of high level of concentrated chromium and salt from the leather factories has degraded the water quality of the river.
In a programme organized by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), Association for land reform and Development (ALRD) and Water Right Forum to celebrate ‘River Day’ BELA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Syeda Rizwana Hasan made the comment. Nagorik Uddyog Chief Executive Jakir Hossain said that rivers around Dhaka have been affected by tanneries. For economic reasons, it is said that many people have become rich by trading leather. However, the economic damage has not been measured.
They said the government must take immediate steps for making the central effluent treatment plant (CETP) at the tannery estate fully functional and called for creating a proper dumping place for solid wastes, including unused rawhides.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan said it is regrettable and shameful that inefficient engineers from BUET designed the CETP which is not capable to treat the huge amount of liquid wastes, including salt, of the tanneries.
“Out of the four units of the CETP, only one unit is functioning regularly.”
she said the government should immediately engage other experts to fix the faulty design of the CETP and enhance its capacity to treat all kinds of tannery wastes.
The experts and green activists said, proper action also should to be taken to check other untreated industrial and domestic wastes, chemicals, and heavy metals.
They also called to enforce law to save the Dhaleshwari river, its biodiversity and inhabitants on its banks.
BELA CEO said the Dhaleshwari will die if proper steps are not taken very soon to check the untreated wastes of the relocated tanneries.
“Now pollution by the tanneries has been shifted to Dhaleshwari from Buriganga. We shouldn’t allow any industry to kill a river and harm people.”
Local people said that aquatic resources, including fish, have almost become extinct in the river as its water has got contaminated.
