Relocation of tannery units

The deadline for relocation of tanneries to Savar is just over three months away. But most of the factory owners appear to have taken no serious preparations to do so. In spite of the government's repeated appeals, promises to offer infrastructural benefits and incentives, they remain nonchalant. It seems the tanners are waiting for another extension of the deadline.

The authorities concerned have set up the new tannery enclosure in far-away Savar to save the residents of Hazaribagh from various kinds of pollution. This environmental pollution has for long been caused by solid wastes and toxic effluents coming from raw-hide processing phases. The tannery owners dump or release the pollutants into the nearby water bodies and marshes. At places, the effluents seep into the ground water layers. The piped supply water, too, become contaminated. The permanent stench of raw hides and processing chemicals makes the air heavy.

People living in the greater Hazaribagh area have to bear the brunt of the reckless operation of factories by the unscrupulous tanners. The residents virtually find themselves engaged in a continued struggle to stave off the environmental pollution fallout.

In fact, it is the tanneries which have a major role in the slow death of the rivers and canals in the western part of Dhaka. Against the backdrop of this murky development, the authorities have set up the new and well-equipped tannery village in Savar. There is no option for the tanners now, but to relocate their factories. If the government is compelled to cancel the plots earmarked for them or enforce other stringent measures, affected people will stand by it. The foot-dragging and defiant tannery owners ought to brace for bad times awaiting them.

Enamul Kabir

Jigatola,

Dhaka