The first phase of earth filling on the 200 acres of acquired land in Savar is now going on in full swing. Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) will implement the high-priority Tk 175-crore project entirely funded by the government.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia inaugurated the project on February 15.

Dr Mohammad Ayub Miah, joint secretary of industries ministry, said the earth filling will continue for 6 months and then the construction work will start. The project is scheduled to complete by June 2006 when the actual shifting will start.

Currently, the untreated wastes from the Hazaribagh tanneries are released into the river Buriganga, which is polluting environment.

Sources say some 243 tanneries out of the total 270 in Bangladesh are situated in Hazaribagh, Boubazar and Kalinagar areas.

These tanneries produce 88 tonnes of solid wastes and release 7.70 million litres of liquid wastes a day, said Partha Shankar Saha, training and programme officer of the Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD), an NGO.

All these wastes are channeled into the Buriganga through a sluice gate, which often remains closed, according to Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (Bapa)..

Around 20,000 people live in makeshift thatched houses in the low-lying areas of Hazaribagh. The inhabitants are currently facing health hazards like chest pain, breathing problems, nausea, headache and other diseases.

Polluted air causes breathing problem and use of contaminated water causes skin rashes and severe itching. Children are the worst victims of these problems.

The treatment plant will be set up in Savar mainly to avoid these health hazards. The plant is expected to purify water from hazardous elements like chromium and asonium affecting water, air and human bodies.

"The CETP will keep the air clean in the project area. The water containing wastes will be purified in the plant and will be re-used to reduce wastage," said Dr Ayub.

Sources say Bangladesh earns around $200 million from leather exports a year. During the first six months of 2004-05, the country earned $104 million from this sector.

Leather goods producers, tanners and exporters expect a significant increase in the earning after the setting up of the tannery estate in Savar.

An executive of Bangladesh Tanners Association said initially the Savar project has 195 plots on 200 acres of land, although they demanded 400 acres for developing other facilities like dormitories for tannery workers and others.

Sources said many land owners in Hazaribagh have already started selling their lands. After the relocation, Hazaribagh will become a residential area.

A number of tannery owners said they are not getting government assistance in shifting their machinery to Savar. But they are happy with the plan to set up the CETP.

"The foreign buyers want to see a CETP in the new tannery estate. Once the CETP is set up, we will get more orders from the importers," said an exporter.