Bangladesh’s textile industry has earned a good repute on global plane because of quality products, but factory-waste management found largely repugnant. Apart from this sector, many other factories spew pollutants into local environs owing to disregarding the obligation for proper waste management in a haste involving the setting up of industries. However, polluting environment is not an endemic problem in Bangladesh, greens say, it’s rather a global concern as most developed countries are blamed for pursuing hedonistic policies in their development paradigm and, thereby, contributing hugely to environmental pollution and global climate change with greenhouse gases. Proper, scientific effluent treatment is a must to avert polluting the environs with industrial exhausts, experts say. An expert study particularly on a number of textile factories has found out an ugly downside of lax waste management. Internally, says the recent study conducted by a BUET team, this sector poses a threat to environment by way of releasing untreated water into different water bodies around. Prof Mohidus Samad, a teacher of the chemical engineering department of BUET, led the study team that, considering the present level of release of untreated water into the water bodies, predicated that every year from 2021 different water bodies would receive 20,300 crore litres of untreated water. Such toxic industrial wastewater would be threatening for fisheries, biodiversity, and groundwater, the researchers forewarn. Currently, textile industries use, on average, 120 litres of water to dye and wash a kilogram of fabrics and effluents are discharged into nearby rivers or wetlands without proper treatment, the BUET study team observed. “The untreated effluents could instigate quick changes in the aquatic ecosystems and have a high economic impact on fisheries. The warm wastewater might also increase the temperature of the water bodies and that could affect flora and fauna,” says the study report. Textile owners concerned are releasing untreated water into the water bodies in disregard of the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act 1995 and the Environment Conservation Rules 1997. Using Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) has been made mandatory both for the textile industry and the leather industry in the Act and the Rules. According to Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) data, the country has around 450 spinning mills, 1,200 weaving factories, and around 5,000 export-oriented dyeing and finishing factories. There are several thousand small dyeing and finishing factories catering the needs of local markets as well. Department of Environment (DoE) sources said only 1,376 textile factories had taken permission to install ETP in their factories. It shows a large number of textile industries run sans installing ETP. The DoE has been empowered in both the Act and the Rules to shut down textile factories that run without ETP. Responsible DoE sources said if they acted according to the provision of the Act, that could be counterproductive to government goal of earning USD50 billion by exporting textiles by the year 2021. “Unfortunately, political authorities have kept their eyes shut on the contribution of the textile sector to environmental degradation,” said one official concerned. Factories pumping out water for washing and dyeing fabrics have caused groundwater levels to drop in the apparel-industrial belts like Dhaka, Gazipur, Savar, and Narayanganj, the study team found. It was also revealed that rivers and water bodies close by the textile industrial zones are the major receivers of unprocessed effluents. Many villages in Gazipur and the Dhaka-Narayanganj-Demra (DND) embankment areas are now exposed to environmental degradation. By consuming and using stinking water for bathing, washing and for household work, marginal people, especially children, are reportedly suffering from various diseases. The study draws attention of policymakers, textile engineers and environmentalists to the urgency of developing innovative technologies and policies for textile dyeing and effluent treatment in an eco- friendly nature. A more scientific approach could reduce water usage by 23 per cent. The study also suggests ensuring individual accountability so that none can dump wastewater into the rivers without being treated. Setting up central ETPs for clusters of factories is also recommended. On the other hand, old Dhaka’s Hazaribagh and the Buriganga River nearby have been largely cleansed of pollution by untreated tannery wastes through eventual relocation of the tanneries to the Leather Industrial Estate in Savar area on the outskirts of the capital. But reports say ETP has not been set up in some units and also the central plant also has shortcomings. As a result, lots of wastes are being discharged into nearby water bodies. “It’s like relocating pollution,” said many a green campaigner, including architect Mobassher Hossain. They suggest addressing this problem for the good of the industry itself and for public good at large.
