Though the tanneries were moved from Hazaribagh at the heart of Dhaka to Savar with the sole purpose of saving the Buriganaga from being polluted by effluent, it appears that the same sad tale is being repeated with Dhaleshwari River becoming the current victim.  As it is, the relocation of the tanneries took a long time to implement, despite the court order issued way back in 2001.

By the time the factories started moving out, a lot of damage had already been done to the Buriganga plus the environment around Hazaribagh. Speakers at a conference organised by Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) expressed concern at the lack of proper effluent treatment facility in Savar, sending a warning message about the pollution of the Dhaleshwari River.  Sadly, we have seen in the case of many social evils that early signals, even if they are given by pre-eminent members of civil society, are callously ignored at first.

In this regard, the perfect example should be the intractable Dhaka traffic which has now become a hydra headed monster.  If the initial signs were taken into consideration and steps taken, then the traffic today would not have become unmanageable. Several other social ills have had the same sort of nonchalant treatment, only to morph into something totally dreadful.

Therefore, there needs to be some stringent action on part of the authority soon to ensure that factories operating in Savar on the banks of the Dhaleshwari have effluent treatment facilities. It’s a common sense that in leather processing, water is mandatory and post usage, the liquid becomes toxic. At this moment, immediate steps are required, supported by a court order issued on factories to set up treatment facilities within a stipulated period.

Given the rule flouting nature inherent in society, many will not pay heed and that is when swift penalties will need to be enforced. The Prime Minister  has categorically underscored the importance of maintaining eco-friendly industries across the country, but unless her directive is vigorously followed with fast action on the ground, Dhaleshwari will have the same fate as Buriganga.

We also feel that international development organisations, especially the World Bank, which works with cleaner textile production, should come forward and begin a clean leather processing drive in the tanneries. However, all efforts will prove futile if the tannery owners continue to take environmental degradation lightly. For one government measure to safeguard the environment, there can be five ways to circumvent the regulation and carry on with the devastation.