Madina Tannery, an age-old tannery located at Jalalabad in the premier port city, has been continuing production in defiance of the environmental rules and regulations.  
On June 17, the Department of Environment (DoE), Chittagong ordered Madina Tannery to keep production stopped until setting up an Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP), a day after it sealed off the factory for dumping toxic waste in a canal in Bayezid area of the city.
Azadur Rahman Mollick, director of the DoE, Chittagong city, gave the order to the tannery during a hearing held at the DoE office.
However, during a visit to the factory following the order, the DoE officials discovered that the factory was running its operation secretly violating the DoE directives.
Following the violation of the DoE directives, the leather processing industry was again asked to appear during a hearing and explain why it was running operations flouting the directives.
“On June 22 hearing, the DoE authorities warned the factory owner of taking stern actions against him and the gas, power and water supply cut if he fails to comply with the order further,” said Mollick.
“According to the environmental law, the tannery is 'red listed'. The factory has been running since 1980s without having any environmental clearance. It's a punishable offence to run any tannery without having any environment clearance,” said Sangjukta Das Gupta, DoE Chittagong Metropolitan Assistant Director (Technical).
“The owner of the factory was asked repeatedly to build an Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP), but he did not pay any heed to the order. As a result, the waste of the tannery discharged through different canals is getting mixed with the water of the Halda river,” alleged Sangjukta.
“The Halda is now at a stake. The quantity of eggs released by mother fishes has been witnessing a decreasing trend in the Halda over the last few years due to discharge of industrial waste from tanneries, washing and dyeing plants,” regretted Manzoorul Kibria, Associate Professor of Zoology, Chittagong University.
"The locals have to experience intolerable odour every day caused by the tannery.
The waste of Madina Tannery finds its way into the Halda water through Khandakia canal. We want the industry to exist but that should not be at the cost of public health and aquatic environment of the Halda,” added Kibria, president of Halda Nadi Raksha Committee and a researcher of the Halda.
“We have to save the Karnaphuli and the Halda at any cost for providing drinking water to the city dwellers. This is very shocking for us that the Halda is getting polluted due to the wastes discharged from tanneries, washing and dyeing plants,” said Engr AKM Fazlullah, Managing Director of CWASA.
“Apart from being a sanctuary, the Halda is also one of the country's major natural sweet water fish-breeding spots. Moreover, the Halda river is the habitat of Gangetic dolphins,” said Prabhati Dev, Distric Fisheries Officer.
“Every year the brood fishes (mother fishes) of some indigenous sweet water fish species release eggs in the Halda. But toxicity discharged from tanneries may prevent the mother fishes from spawning and the production of fish may witness a sharp decline,” Deb said, adding that prawn production might also decrease.
“Residents living near the tanneries may get illnesses such as fever, skin diseases, respiratory problems, and diarrhoea caused by extreme tannery pollution in the air, water and soil,” said Dr Md Sarfaraz Khan Chowdhury, civil surgeon of Chittagong.  
It may be mentioned that the DoE, on October 13, 2010, fined Madina Tannery Tk1.95 million on charges of polluting the river Karnaphuli and violating the environment law.
Public Prosecutor (PP) Md Badrul Ala said that the Chittagong Environment Court had also given an order to shut down Madina Tannery.
While talking to The Independent, Abu Mohammad, owner of the tannery, said the nearby industrial units including dyeing and washing plants were polluting environment through discharging untreated wastes into the canals.   
“I am not polluting the environment. However, I am always blamed for no apparent reason,” claimed the tannery owner.
“I cannot afford to set up an ETP at the tannery on my own due to its astronomical cost. Moreover, we are relocating our unit in Savar soon,” added Mohammad.
Relying to the allegation of running factory production secretly, Abu Mohammad said, “We have not violated the DoE’s order of suspending production. The DoE ordered us not to process leather and we are complying with this. However, there is no bar to running office and packing leather.”