Tannery relocation: HC verdict and ground realities
Friday, 31 July 2009
THE relocation of the tanneries from Hazaribagh area in Dhaka city to a suitable place at nearby Savar has hit the newspaper headlines, time and again, since the Dhaka Tannery Estate Project (DTEP) was launched nearly six years back. Such tanneries have been polluting their surroundings by draining out toxic effluents in the nearby water bodies, including the Buriganga, the lifeline of Dhaka, and filling the air with obnoxious smell. But, for reasons best known to authorities concerned, the tanneries are still operating from the same site at Hazaribagh, a densely populated area of the capital city. In such a situation, the High Court (HC) has stepped in to save the Buriganga and the residents of Hazaribagh from an unending process of environmental pollution. An HC bench, in response to writ petition filed by the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association (BELA), ordered recently shifting of the tanneries from their present location by February next year.
But will the relocation be possible within the timeframe set by the higher court? According to the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on environment and forests, relocation of the tanneries to Savar within the HC-set timeframe would be impossible since the setting up of the effluent treatment plant (ETP) would take at least two years time. And relocation of tanneries without an ETP in place would lead to the pollution of yet another new area. The polluting capacity of the Hazaribagh tanneries could be well understood from the statement made by the parliamentary standing committee chairman during his meeting with the leaders of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) early this week. According to him, the tanneries have been releasing 22,500 cubic metres of toxic effluents in the Buriganga every day. In addition, about 100 tonnes of solid waste are dumped into the river daily.
However, the time required for setting up the ETP is not only the reason behind the delay in the relocation of tanneries. The tannery owners are, reportedly, reluctant to move out until the government provides them with compensation money, nearly Tk. 2.5 billion, and other necessary facilities. Their other demands include the declaration of the DTEP as an export-processing zone (EPZ), having all the facilities given to other EPZs of the country. The government and the tannery owners do also have disagreement over cost of the ETP and its ownership. Notwithstanding the fact that the decision to transfer the tanneries from Narayanganj to its present location about 45 years back was a wrong one, the owners would, for obvious reasons, would try to resist in one way or other the relocation of their tanneries.
But the owners need to understand the fact that tanneries should no more be allowed to operate from their present location, both for environmental and health reasons. The Buriganga has to be saved at any cost and the residents of Hazaribagh must be relieved of their present predicaments. If not in Hazaribagh, the families of the tannery owners do also reside in Dhaka city, which, if made unlivable through pollution of all sorts, they and their families would also suffer. The authorities concerned, while dealing with the leaders of the tannery owners' association on issues -- financial or otherwise -- should try to convey the message that the relocation move is aimed at saving the city not only for the present generation but also for posterity.
But will the relocation be possible within the timeframe set by the higher court? According to the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on environment and forests, relocation of the tanneries to Savar within the HC-set timeframe would be impossible since the setting up of the effluent treatment plant (ETP) would take at least two years time. And relocation of tanneries without an ETP in place would lead to the pollution of yet another new area. The polluting capacity of the Hazaribagh tanneries could be well understood from the statement made by the parliamentary standing committee chairman during his meeting with the leaders of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) early this week. According to him, the tanneries have been releasing 22,500 cubic metres of toxic effluents in the Buriganga every day. In addition, about 100 tonnes of solid waste are dumped into the river daily.
However, the time required for setting up the ETP is not only the reason behind the delay in the relocation of tanneries. The tannery owners are, reportedly, reluctant to move out until the government provides them with compensation money, nearly Tk. 2.5 billion, and other necessary facilities. Their other demands include the declaration of the DTEP as an export-processing zone (EPZ), having all the facilities given to other EPZs of the country. The government and the tannery owners do also have disagreement over cost of the ETP and its ownership. Notwithstanding the fact that the decision to transfer the tanneries from Narayanganj to its present location about 45 years back was a wrong one, the owners would, for obvious reasons, would try to resist in one way or other the relocation of their tanneries.
But the owners need to understand the fact that tanneries should no more be allowed to operate from their present location, both for environmental and health reasons. The Buriganga has to be saved at any cost and the residents of Hazaribagh must be relieved of their present predicaments. If not in Hazaribagh, the families of the tannery owners do also reside in Dhaka city, which, if made unlivable through pollution of all sorts, they and their families would also suffer. The authorities concerned, while dealing with the leaders of the tannery owners' association on issues -- financial or otherwise -- should try to convey the message that the relocation move is aimed at saving the city not only for the present generation but also for posterity.