Hazaribagh fiasco

the tanneries remain there despite being a serious threat to public health and the environment

According to a report published in this newspaper the government has once again extended the deadline to relocate tanneries from the capital’s Hazaribagh area to the newly-constructed tannery village at Savar. This is the seventh time the deadline has been extended. The blame should not be placed totally on the owners. The irony is that the government has failed to make the Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) in the new location fully operational for proper treatment of toxic waste spewed out by the tanneries—the main objective of the much-hyped relocation move. The whole exercise is quixotic.
How can the government expect factory owners to move when the construction of CETP is yet to be completed? However, that does not by any mean imply that the factory owners are ready themselves. Out of some 150 factory owners, only about 30 have made notable progresses in setting up their establishments in the new location. Given this dismal rate of progress, the issue of pollution by tanneries in Dhaka city is likely to fail if substantial initiative is not taken by the authorities on an urgent basis.
Hazaribagh, with about 200 tanneries, forms the backbone of the country's leather industry contributing about USD 1 billion to the annual export basket. However, these factories operate in a virtual enforcement-free zone in which they are subject to little or no government oversight with regard to environmental regulations or labour laws. The consequences are there for everyone to see: a river, once the lifeline of Dhaka, running black with pollution from the tanneries and workers exposed to hazardous materials daily.
 People living in the greater Hazaribagh area have to bear the brunt of the reckless operation of factories by the unscrupulous tanners. The residents virtually find themselves engaged in a continued struggle to stave off the environmental pollution fallout.
Six decades ago when the leather tanning industry was set up at Hazaribagh, not too many people lived in the area. Today it is one of the most densely populated areas of the capital city, yet the tanneries remain there despite being a serious threat to public health and the environment.
Ensuring compliance of all tanneries with international standards and Bangladeshi law is an opportunity to firmly establish the leather industry to strengthen the economy. But the government must show genuine commitment in ending the relocation fiasco by getting the Tannery Industrial Estate in Savar up and running as per guidelines. It is expected that the tannery owners would not be given any more time after the present seventh deadline expires. 

Hazaribagh fiasco

the tanneries remain there despite being a serious threat to public health and the environment

According to a report published in this newspaper the government has once again extended the deadline to relocate tanneries from the capitals Hazaribagh area to the newly-constructed tannery village at Savar. This is the seventh time the deadline has been extended. The blame should not be placed totally on the owners. The irony is that the government has failed to make the Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) in the new location fully operational for proper treatment of toxic waste spewed out by the tanneriesthe main objective of the much-hyped relocation move. The whole exercise is quixotic. How can the government expect factory owners to move when the construction of CETP is yet to be completed? However, that does not by any mean imply that the factory owners are ready themselves. Out of some 150 factory owners, only about 30 have made notable progresses in setting up their establishments in the new location. Given this dismal rate of progress, the issue of pollution by tanneries in Dhaka city is likely to fail if substantial initiative is not taken by the authorities on an urgent basis. Hazaribagh, with about 200 tanneries, forms the backbone of the countrys leather industry contributing about USD 1 billion to the annual export basket. However, these factories operate in a virtual enforcement-free zone in which they are subject to little or no government oversight with regard to environmental regulations or labour laws. The consequences are there for everyone to see: a river, once the lifeline of Dhaka, running black with pollution from the tanneries and workers exposed to hazardous materials daily. People living in the greater Hazaribagh area have to bear the brunt of the reckless operation of factories by the unscrupulous tanners. The residents virtually find themselves engaged in a continued struggle to stave off the environmental pollution fallout. Six decades ago when the leather tanning industry was set up at Hazaribagh, not too many people lived in the area. Today it is one of the most densely populated areas of the capital city, yet the tanneries remain there despite being a serious threat to public health and the environment. Ensuring compliance of all tanneries with international standards and Bangladeshi law is an opportunity to firmly establish the leather industry to strengthen the economy. But the government must show genuine commitment in ending the relocation fiasco by getting the Tannery Industrial Estate in Savar up and running as per guidelines. It is expected that the tannery owners would not be given any more time after the present seventh deadline expires.