Govt mulling charges on industrial water usage

The interim government is considering imposing charges on industrial water usage and will categorise industries based on water consumption while offering incentives for recycling initiatives.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the environment, forest and climate change and water resources ministries, made the remarks on Tuesday while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Sustainable Apparel Forum (SAF) 2025.
The sixth edition of the forum was organised by Bangladesh Apparel Exchange in partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands at Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden.
The adviser has urged business community and international partners to collaborate with their Bangladeshi counterparts to transition from fossil fuel-dependent energy production to renewable and sustainable sources.
She emphasised that energy supply shortages in the last two years have severely impacted industries, making sustainable energy solutions a necessity for both the country and the industry.
She stressed that the garment industry is not only energy-intensive but also heavily reliant on water and chemical management, making responsible production practices crucial.
Addressing chemical waste management, she revealed that the government, in collaboration with German partners, is working on a Chemical Waste Management Rule, which is expected to be finalised soon.
She encouraged greater engagement with innovative organisations and technology providers to drive sustainability in the apparel industry, which remains the backbone of Bangladesh's economy.
Speaking there, Michael Miller, European Union (EU) Ambassador to Bangladesh, said the EU's EBA (Everything but Arms) preferential trade scheme has played a crucial role in the textile and apparel sector's growth, contributing greatly to Bangladesh's economic success.
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In 2024, more than 90 per cent of 20 billion euro exports to the EU came from textile and garments, he said, adding that EU consumers have in turn benefited from good value and high quality products imported from Bangladesh.
Andre Carstens, head of the Mission at Netherlands Embassy in Bangladesh, has expressed his country's commitment to working together with Bangladesh to navigate its challenges.
Terming repatriations of the profit by foreign investors a 'challenge' Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, executive chairman (Senior Secretary) at Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), said they are really trying to tackle the issue and progress would be seen by next six months in this regard.
In an another session of the forum, Mahmud Hasan Khan, managing director of the Rising Group, said imposing tax on industrial use of water has both good and bad impacts.
Shawkat Aziz Russel, president of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association, has alleged that they could not grab the opportunity of rising global demands for manmade fibre based garments mainly because of the absence of required policy support.
Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury, chairman and managing director of the Evince Group, called for deferment of the country's graduation process for at least three years, saying that Bangladesh is not ready yet for the graduation for a number of reasons.
Mostafiz Uddin, founder and CEO of the Bangladesh Apparel Exchange, said, "If you look into the efforts, we are creating collaboration and connection, increasing opportunity and investment, and further integrating the business."

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