Tannery estate project still not completed
It is quite disappointing that a project that would make tanneries treat their toxic effluents, so that a river is protected, has still not materialised even after 16 years of its being initiated. The deadline of the Savar Tannery Industrial Estate (STIE) project has been extended again to the end of next year in order to complete the central effluent treatment plant (CETP). In fact, the CETP seems to be a mirage that has led even relocated tanneries to end up polluting the Dhaleshwari river with semi-treated effluents. In addition to the environmental pollution, our exporters are also losing out on business; until the CETP is fully functional, they are not compliant with the conditions of the Leather Working Group certification that would make the exporters of leather goods eligible to get fairer and better prices for their products.
So what is the mystery behind the apparently endless wait for the CETP to be completed? In 2012, the government had floated a tender for construction of a CETP and a Chinese company that won the bidding started the work in 2014 for completion by 2017. But till date, it has not been completed, and the government has extended the project completion deadline yet again. The saga of the disastrous environmental impact of the Hazaribagh tanneries is well-known, especially how it has destroyed the Buriganga River with indiscriminate toxic waste being dumped into it. This led to major global compliant brands to stop buying leather and leather goods from Bangladesh a few years ago because of their environmental pollution, which prompted the government to shift the tanneries to Savar. But without the CETP completed, the tanneries are again dumping partially treated waste, resulting in pollution of the Dhaleshwari River and killing its fish and other aquatic life and depriving fishermen of their only livelihood.
According to the latest progress report, there are still some basic features of the plant that have not been set up. We do not understand why this should be the case when the tanneries have shifted a few years ago. Why wasn't the CETP completed before shifting? Why was the construction of the plant delayed in the first place?
The delays in completing the STIE project seems to be symptomatic of many government projects, the costs of which usually increase exponentially, every time the deadline is extended. Thus the government ultimately loses more funds because of such delays. In this particular project, the delay has severely hampered the environment, in particular, jeopardised the health of another river, and deprived people of their livelihoods. The costs are therefore even higher in this case, and we urge the government to make sure that this latest deadline to complete the CETP is not missed by any means.
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