2 industries fined for polluting Karnaphuli, Halda
The Department of Environment (DoE) in the port city yesterday fined Tk 51 lakh to two industries for polluting the Karnaphuli and Halda rivers.
In a drive at Kalurghat heavy industrial area, DoE fined S A Oil Refinery Ltd Tk 30 lakh and Mir Pulp and Paper Industries Ltd Tk 21 lakh, a DoE press release said.
DoE, in a three-hour drive, led by its director (Monitoring and Enforcement) Mohammad Munir Chowdhury and assisted by the Chandgaon police detected that there are no Effluent Treatment Plants (ETP) in the two factories.
The team also observed that the two factories are discharging untreated liquid waste in the nearby canal through drains. The wastes go to the nearby Karnaphuli and Halda rivers during high-tide.
In an instant test, the team found that the amount of liquefied oxygen in the waste discharged by S A Oil is 3.4mg/litre and the amount of Ph is 9.4.
The amount of liquefied oxygen is 2.8mg/litre and the amount of Ph is 8.08 in the liquid waste discharged by Mir Paper Industries.
S A Oil Refinery since 2002 and Mir Paper Industries since 2010, are running illegally without the Environment Clearance Certificate, said the press release.
To save the Karnaphuli and Halda from the chemical pollution, power connection to Mir Pulp and Paper Industries Ltd have been cut off and the factories have been sealed, the press release added.
Two factories were asked to install ETP immediately.
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