Though 14 years have gone by, the authorities are yet to complete the construction of all necessary structures—including the vital Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP)—at Savar Tannery Estate. As a result, untreated solid wastes are being dumped in open spaces, thereby imperilling the environment. Tannery wastes are being dumped under the open sky, which makes the area stink. Again, untreated tannery water is flowing into the nearby agricultural lands and wetlands, creating health hazards.

Tannery owners relocated their factories to Savar after the Department of Environment (DoE) cut off the utility connections—power, water and gas supplies—at Hazaribagh on April 8 this year in accordance with a Supreme Court order.

Since then, tannery owners have been continuously complaining about the faulty set-up of the CETP at Savar.

Meanwhile, some 102 out of 155 factories have already started their production at the Savar Tannery Estate.

“The CETP is yet to become fully operational. The Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) are yet to begin the chrome refinery unit and set up, necessary for dumping solid wastes. As a result, it is polluting the entire area, and damaging the ecology and environment,” Bangladesh Tannery Association general secretary Md Shakhawatullah told The Independent said. He, too, confirmed that solid wastes were being dumped in open spaces.

“The BSCIC is yet to complete land registration for plot owners. Besides, they are now demanding the cost of the CETP, which was not included in the relocation agreement,” he claimed.

The project director of Savar Tannery Estate, Ziaul Haque admitted that they are yet to begin chrome recovery because of various problems. He also alleged that the factory-owners

are mixing huge amounts of lime, which creates problems in the recovery of chrome.

The recovery of chrome involves a system and method for recovering chromium from byproducts resulting from a tannery process.

“It’s true that solid wastes are being dumped at a certain place because there’s no management of solid wastes. Earlier, it had been decided that these wastes would be recycled, but it was postponed later,” Haque said in reply to a query.

He also sought a solution from the experts and/or green activists on how to manage these solid wastes.

Paribesh Bachao Andolon chairman Abu Naser Khan said though the relocation of tanneries to Savar Tannery Industrial Estate from Hazaribagh has saved the Buriganga and adjoining areas from pollution, the tannery waste is now contaminating the Dhaleshwari and nearby areas, creating environmental hazards.

Earlier, shipping minister Shajahan Khan also said that rivers and wetlands near the Savar Tannery Estate were being polluted by solid wastes.

On October 12, this year, the High Court (HC) directed the authorities to finish the construction of all necessary structures, including the CETP, at the tannery estate within four weeks.

On March 6 this year, the SC directed the DoE director-general to shut down tanneries that fail to relocate from Hazaribagh to the Savar Tannery Industrial Estate.

In 2001, the HC had directed the government to shift the leather factories from Hazaribagh to Savar in view of the critical condition of the Buriganga, caused by the dumping of untreated chemical waste from the tanneries into the river.