Bangladesh is projected to achieve middle income status by 2021. In this process, the readymade garment (RMG) sector has a crucial role to play. It contributes more than 65 per cent of national export earnings and employs around eight million people in Bangladesh. The RMG sector is being made compliant and environmentally sustainable as the government, retailers, the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) have undertaken a number of initiatives to improve the overall condition of this sector. These include zero discharge of hazardous chemicals, Partnership for Cleaner Textile (PACT), establishing biological effluent treatment plant (ETP), through which used water of the factories would be recyclable and establishing central ETP on the basis of the cluster to share the facility among the adjoining factories. Sustainable industrial growth is a major challenge for development of Bangladesh. Regulatory compliance in the industrial sector is essential for better natural and human environment as well as complies with the international buyer’s requirement. To meet the national development goals and eco-friendly industrial growth, setting up of ETP will indeed be a step towards building an eco-friendly Bangladesh. Textile industries produce wastewater, otherwise known as effluent, as a bi-product of their production. Effluent from the textile industry is a major source of environmental pollution, especially water pollution. Among various stages of textile production, the operations in the dyeing plants, which include pre-treatments, dyeing and finishing, produce most of the pollution. The textile dyeing wastes contain unused or partially used organic compounds, and high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). These are often of strong colour and may also be of high temperature. When disposed of into water bodies or onto lands these effluents will result in deterioration of ecology and damage to aquatic life. Moreover, they may cause damage to fisheries and economic loss to fishermen and farmers, besides having adverse impacts on human health. The rise in the number of industries including textile dyeing units has seriously increased pollution in the country. Consequently, national laws have been enacted to protect environment from this pollution. Under the Environmental Conservation Rules 1997, industrial units and projects are classified into four categories (Green, Orange A, Orange B, and Red) based on their environmental impact and location. Fabric dyeing and chemical treatment industries fall under the Red category. This means that when these are applying for site clearance they must submit an ETP plan to the Department of Environment, including the layout and location. When the design is approved by the Department of Environment and the ETP has been constructed, then Red category industries can apply for an environmental clearance certificate. In accordance with the Act and Environmental Rules (1997), it is mandatory for textile dyeing factories to install ETPs to treat wastewater before it leaves the factory premises. In this connection, environmental sustainability and safer workplace have become a mandatory precondition for the Bangladeshi RMG sector as global buyers are worried over ecological balance and sustainable development and full-fledged compliance. International pressure for effluent treatment is also increasing and many buyers are now showing more concern over whether textiles are produced in an environmentally friendly way. This trend means that in the near future it is likely that installation and operation of an ETP will be essential to sustain business in the competitive world market. Effluent from textile dyeing industries must meet the national effluent discharge quality standards set by the government of Bangladesh including the “Quality Standards for Classified Industries” (Tables 1 and 2), and may also need to meet additional standards set by international textile buyers. Consequently, any ETP must be designed and operated in such a way that it treats the wastewater to these standards. The waste discharge quality standards differ according to the point of disposal. So, the standards are different for inland surface water (ponds, tanks, water bodies, water holes, canals, river, springs or estuaries), public sewers (any sewer connected with fully combined processing plant including primary and secondary treatment) and irrigated land defined as an appropriately irrigated plantation area of specified crops based on quantity and quality of wastewater. Although colour is not included in the Environment Conservation Rules (11997), it is an issue in dyeing house effluent because unlike other pollutants it is so visible. Reducing colour is therefore important for the public perception of a factory. Consequently, international textile buyers are increasingly setting discharge standards for colour. ETP installing technique is also an important factor here. Any factory needing to install an ETP has to consider several factors. For example, information about the waste water from a factory is required, including quantity and quality. To get this information the factory will have to take samples and to analyse it at a reputed laboratory. Some of the factors to be considered are presented in the following figure 1. Now-a-days, many industries are now facing difficulties as effluent treatment is not part of their daily business. However, in order to operate ETPs effectively and to meet national standards, they require regular and proper monitoring. Untreated and treated wastewater characteristics need to be known and must be monitored regularly to evaluate the efficiency of the treatment plant. Different parameters in different units of the ETP also need to be checked to diagnose any internal breakdown of the system. But despite these laws, factory owners often show reluctance to invest money in proper treatment because they consider it to be a non-productive use of money in an industry that is still emerging and striving to remain profitable in the highly competitive global market. Even where industries already have ETPs, there is often the unwillingness to operate the plants correctly because of the high-running costs or the lack of experience to do so effectively. It is high time to put emphasis on taking a series of initiatives for environmental sustainability to reduce negative impact of someone’s business on environment. Currently, environmental sustainability is a topical issue that receives attention from the media and from different governmental departments. It is a positive sign that many industries are also making progress in establishing and operating their own ETPs to comply with national and international requirements, and also because of increased personal awareness of the negative impacts of industrial effluents. Therefore, it is very important to gain more knowledge concerning ecological problems our country is facing and also important to find out the ways to conserve our natural resources. When we recycle and use fewer petroleum products and household chemicals and purchase environmentally friendly products, we are making an investment in our future. Another way to have a positive impact on the environment is to learn how to save water. For this purpose, we need a green project to make the environment eco-friendly, self-sustaining and living in harmony with the earth. It is also very important to environmentalists to explore, develop and manage the sustainable use of environmental resources and need to work more on awareness building to use energy-saving lights and other machinery. At the same time they need to involve actively in the monitoring and mitigation of environmental hazards and problems as well. The writer is Senior Assistant Secretary, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).
