Around 5,000 cubic metre of untreated effluent from 55 tannery factories is dumped into the Dhaleswari River every day since they shifted to the Tannery Industrial Park at Savar.Pollution from the new tannery park has defeated the government’s main objective of relocating the tannery factories from Hazaribagh in the capital. Supervisors of the new tannery park blamed what they called irresponsibility of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation officials for the environment around it getting polluted.They said that untreated effluents from the tannery park was being released into the environment without using the central effluent treatment plant, commissioned over four months ago, to treat the liquid wastes .As the CETP is used for up to six hours every day and not round the clock water laced with untreated toxic chemicals from factories continuously pollutes the park’s walled space which overflows to the Dhaleswari River.And solid wastes being dumped in a pond on the southern part of the park has been making life unbearable for people in the neighbourhood. BSCIC has been ignoring BUET’s advice to run the CETP round the clock though BUET is consultant for the tannery park.Though aware about the issues, the Department of Environment is reluctant to take any action against the polluters. Industries ministry secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan and the project director Ziaul Haque refused to make any comments on the issues.The Dhaleswari is getting polluted fast due to dumping of untreated tannery wastes into it, said the team leader of consultants from BUET professor Delwar Hossain. He said his request to stop dumping of untreated tannery wastes into the Dhaleswari fell on the deaf ears of BSCIC officials. DoE director general Raisul Alam Mondal said the trial run of the CETP was still continuing.Dhaleswari River’s fish population is fast decreasing since the tannery park began to release untreated effluents into it said fisherman Abdul Haque.BELA chief executive Rizwana Hasan said the objective of relocating tannery factories from Hazaribagh would defeated if the problem persisted at the new location. The CETP and the dumping yard were planned to cost Tk 477 crore, said project officials.
