The quality of the Buriganga water in Dhaka improved to some extent after the tanneries of Hazaribagh were shut down recently. Tests by Department of Environment (DoE) say so and so do the people of the area.
A huge quantity of dissolved salt will be discharged into the Dhaleshwari river from the Savar Tannery Industrial Estate as the central effluent treatment plant (CETP) there doesn't have the component needed for desalinising wastewater. Even if all the other toxic materials are treated, the salt will kill the biodiversity of the river, say, environmentalists. The country's tannery industry uses around 40,000 tonnes of salt annually.
Tanners are likely to ask the government to give them six to eight more months to relocate their factories from the capital's Hazaribagh area to Savar Tannery Industrial Estate.
With tanners dithering over relocation of their factories to Savar, the High Court yesterday ordered the owners of 154 tanneries in the capital's Hazaribagh to pay Tk 50,000 each a day in compensation for damaging the environment in the area.
The High Court summons 10 tannery owners, directing them to appear before it on April 10 on charge of not implementing its 2001 judgment on relocation of hazardous tannery industries from the capital's Hazaribagh area to Savar.
Although many tanneries located in Hazaribagh have been taking preparations to relocate to Savar, the High Court has issued a contempt ruling against ten factories for non-compliance.
The quality of the Buriganga water in Dhaka improved to some extent after the tanneries of Hazaribagh were shut down recently. Tests by Department of Environment (DoE) say so and so do the people of the area.
A huge quantity of dissolved salt will be discharged into the Dhaleshwari river from the Savar Tannery Industrial Estate as the central effluent treatment plant (CETP) there doesn't have the component needed for desalinising wastewater. Even if all the other toxic materials are treated, the salt will kill the biodiversity of the river, say, environmentalists. The country's tannery industry uses around 40,000 tonnes of salt annually.
Tanners are likely to ask the government to give them six to eight more months to relocate their factories from the capital's Hazaribagh area to Savar Tannery Industrial Estate.
With tanners dithering over relocation of their factories to Savar, the High Court yesterday ordered the owners of 154 tanneries in the capital's Hazaribagh to pay Tk 50,000 each a day in compensation for damaging the environment in the area.
The High Court summons 10 tannery owners, directing them to appear before it on April 10 on charge of not implementing its 2001 judgment on relocation of hazardous tannery industries from the capital's Hazaribagh area to Savar.
Although many tanneries located in Hazaribagh have been taking preparations to relocate to Savar, the High Court has issued a contempt ruling against ten factories for non-compliance.
