Staff Reporter :
The tannery industries in city’s Hazaribagh area are aggravating environmental problems day by day due to the absence of proper waste management system and lack of facilities for treating industrial wastes.
The rampant discharging and dumping of wastes near the waterbodies makes Hazaribagh almost look like an area which is lying under the blanket of pollution. But the authorities concerned remained indifferent for the reasons best known to them.
According to the officials, there are 270 registered tanneries in Bangladesh, employing nearly 20,000 people. And around 95 per cent of the tanneries are located in Hazaribagh on 25 hectares of land, and most use old, outdated and inefficient processing methods.
The present situation is highly problematic in Hazaribagh as the homes of tannery workers are built next to contaminated streams, ponds, and canals. Apart from toxic substances, the workers and residents of this area also have to face a number of common health problems every day.
Of them, skin and respiratory diseases, for instance, result from repeated exposure to hazardous chemicals when measuring and mixing them as part of the tanning process. Besides, acid burns, rashes, aches, dizziness and nausea are also common health problems faced by local residents. Informal leather recyclers, who burn scraps of leather to produce a number of consumer products, also heavily pollute the air in the area mounting the sufferings of inhabitants.
In 2013, Hazaribagh was listed as one of the top 10 polluted places on earth by different international research organizations. This situation is not changed till the date!
The tannery industries in city’s Hazaribagh area are aggravating environmental problems day by day due to the absence of proper waste management system and lack of facilities for treating industrial wastes.
The rampant discharging and dumping of wastes near the waterbodies makes Hazaribagh almost look like an area which is lying under the blanket of pollution. But the authorities concerned remained indifferent for the reasons best known to them.
According to the officials, there are 270 registered tanneries in Bangladesh, employing nearly 20,000 people. And around 95 per cent of the tanneries are located in Hazaribagh on 25 hectares of land, and most use old, outdated and inefficient processing methods.
The present situation is highly problematic in Hazaribagh as the homes of tannery workers are built next to contaminated streams, ponds, and canals. Apart from toxic substances, the workers and residents of this area also have to face a number of common health problems every day.
Of them, skin and respiratory diseases, for instance, result from repeated exposure to hazardous chemicals when measuring and mixing them as part of the tanning process. Besides, acid burns, rashes, aches, dizziness and nausea are also common health problems faced by local residents. Informal leather recyclers, who burn scraps of leather to produce a number of consumer products, also heavily pollute the air in the area mounting the sufferings of inhabitants.
In 2013, Hazaribagh was listed as one of the top 10 polluted places on earth by different international research organizations. This situation is not changed till the date!
