TWENTY-THREE tanneries that are causing high levels of pollution are set to be shut down. A parliamentary body on Tuesday stated that utility services of seven tanneries have already been disconnected over environmental pollution. In 2003, the government took an initiative to build the BSCIC Tannery Industrial Estate on 200 acres in Savar’s Hemayetpur area, after moving all tanneries from the capital’s Hazaribagh to prevent pollution and protect the Buriganga River. The central effluent treatment plant of the estate has the capacity to treat around 25,000 cubic metres of liquid waste every day against the daily 40,000 cubic metres waste generation.
The estate dumps 15,000 cubic metres of untreated waste into the Dhaleshwari river. The estate also does not have the facility to treat solid waste, including heavy metals and chromium, which is also dumped into the Dhaleshwari. Around 1.60 lakh cubic metres of solid waste have been dumped into the river over the past three years. Recently, the Environment Ministry agreed to shut down Savar Tannery Industrial Estate immediately, as the estate has been running without environmental clearance for the last 10 years and lacks facilities to treat its liquid waste. Locals alleged that untreated solid wastes from the temporary dumping station were mixing with river water used by people for bathing and washing clothes.
Locals alleged that solid waste dumping has been killing the river since the Hemayetpur tannery estate started operation. The river is now a dead river, as there is no sign of life, no flora or fauna. Fifteen hundred fisherfolks living in the vicinity of the Dhaleshwari River have had to change their profession. Some have become day labourers, others rickshaw pullers. Authorities are quick to lay the blame on tanneries stating that the factories at the tannery estate do not follow regulations. It was gross negligence on the part of the authorities to force the move from Hazaribagh to Savar knowing full well that the CETP was not operational.
