In Nawabchar and Balurchar in the middle of the river, there were around 15 tin melting units. Around a thousand people used to work in these factories. Boats are the only mode of transport to these chars.

Just a few weeks ago these chars were full of activities. But now the whole place wears a deserted look with towering black chimneys standing vigilant like quiet sentinels. Sacks full of lead ashes are stacked up in a corner. Heaps of coal, used in the melting process, were piled up.

Big furnaces to melt tin are lying idle under the straw roofs. Several dies are scattered here and there. These were used for making tin oxide bars to sell them to traders of Mitford area and to the corrugated iron sheet factories. Each bar weighs 7.5 kg and is priced at Tk 1,470.

Md Abdul Kader, a tin-melting worker, was walking through such a factory, which looked like an abandoned place. "We used to melt tin cans, aluminium foils and tablet strips. Everything is sold. Nothing goes wasted," said Kader, working in the factory for the last 28 years.

"There were 30 trawlers engaged in transporting goods for the factories. All of them are now out of work. Previously we could go to our MP [Amanullah Aman] for help. But now he is in jail and we have no one to turn to," he said.

The residents of the area on the other hand are happy that the factories are now closed.

"Joint forces have shut down the factories following the complaints of the residents because these factories emitted thick black smoke causing breathing problem especially for children," said Md Rahim, a tempo driver of the area.

"It is true that the factories were polluting the area. But isn't recycling also saving environment?," said Kader.

"We were not given any prior notice before shutting down. If we have been told how to recycle in a safe way we would have followed that. But what will I do now? I do not know any other work. I will have to become a rickshawpuller or a day labourer to feed my family. I cannot even continue the studies of my three children," said Kader with despair.

The recycling of dry cell batteries in small households is still going on as there is no law banning its unsafe recycling process.

In Kamrangirchar and Lalbagh embankment areas there are hundreds of such factories where workers dismantle different parts of dry cell batteries.

Nurunnahar, 15, works in such a small factory beside the Buriganga River. During a visit to the dismantling unit, this correspondent found the girl dismantling dry cell batteries with a hammer while another worker was sorting different parts of the used batteries.

"I am doing this work for the last five years. I can dismantle one full sack of used batteries a day. I work from 7am to 5pm along with three other workers for Tk 50 daily," said Nurunnahar with her face smeared with black ash.

Farida Begum, the employer of Nurunnahar, said she and her husband has been in this business for the last 25 years. "We buy sacks of batteries from bhangari (scrap) shops at Tk 1,200 per sack. One sack contains 2 maunds (around 75kg) of scrap batteries," she said.

"We separate every part of the batteries -- lead, plastic, tin and pencil. We sell the lead and pencil to battery factories, tin to bhangari shops and plastic to traders of Islambagh," said Farida. "The price of one maund of pencil is Tk 400, tin Tk 600 and lead Tk 3,000," he added.

"We don't have much work these days because the use of batteries have gone down due to rechargeable devices," she said.