No letup in pollution

Untreated excess dye of garment factories and chemical waste from pharmaceutical factories flow into the Turag river. Many factories still do not have effluent treatment plants installed or choose not to use them to cut cost. The photo was taken under Karnapara Bridge in Savar. Photo: SK Enamul Haq

Despite the introduction of tougher laws and the government's pledge of stern action against violators, most of the industries, especially those of fabrics, dyeing and tannery, continue polluting the rivers, canals and water bodies in the capital and its suburbs only to boost profit.
Sources in the Department of Environment say owners of many industries are former ministers and lawmakers having good connection with political high-ups, who are trying to influence their action.
"We are facing huge pressure from the polluters as the department is taking tougher actions against them," says an official asking not to be identified.
Though the Enforcement and Monitoring Wing of the department is conducting regular drives and have so far fined more than 100 polluting units over Tk 10.6 crore, it could only realise half the amount till mid-November thanks to political pressure.
There are still 311 red category (severe polluter) industries in and around the capital that need to install effluent treatment plant (ETP). While 371 heavy polluter industries have completed installing the plant but keep them mostly unused.
The DoE has recently made a list of 18 large knitting and dyeing industries operating in Gazipur, Savar, Narayanganj and Narsingdi that never installed ETP or took any environment clearance certificates.
Pollution of these industries wreaks havoc on the localities where those are situated.
During a recent visit it was seen that untreated industrial waste discharged into the Karnapara canal connecting Bil-Baghila and the Bangshai river flowing through Genda in Savar was making public life miserable.
The air around the canal remains heavy with stenches of sludge and muck throughout the year. The waste not only leaves people's lives in perils but also ruins crops in Bil-Baghila, a huge area of lowland.
The stenches of chemicals discharged from one pharmaceutical and three fabric dyeing industries strike the nostrils heavily as anyone nears the area.
The monsoon, when floodwater flows through the canal, is a good time for teachers and students of Genda Government Primary School, which is situated by the canal.
"You just cannot imagine what happens during the lean period. It becomes really hard for us to stay at the school," said Syedatunnessa Parul, a teacher of the institution of over 500 students.
"The students frequently make complaints about the foul smell. But we are helpless about it," she said.
The situation is the same for hundreds of people living by the canal.
Locals allege liquid waste generated at the industries and also excreta of a few thousand workers are being discharged into the canal.
"The underground channel to discharge liquid waste and excreta is just beside the school," said Khandakar Md Hamid Ranju, a freedom fighter of Savar who was showing this correspondent the situation.
At Genda, unplanned industrialisation is killing canals and lowland.
Some big fabrics dyeing and pharmaceuticals industries have been discharging liquid and solid industrial waste and human excreta into the canal of Genda that falls into the Bangshai.
"During lean period everything goes straight to the Bangshai river through the canal. But during the monsoon if the canal overflows, the waste spreads over the entire area," said Soharabuddin of the locality.
Ashrafuddin Khan Emu, former Upazila chairman of Savar, alleged the administration of Savar Upazila Parishad has made the drainage system for some industrialists spending public money and ignoring dwellers' complaints.
Some other industrialists have also laid underground pipelines to the canal to discharge waste so that no-one can notice this illegal act.
It was seen that Modhumati tiles was built filling up the Bairagibari canal, flowing in parallel just five hundred metres away with Karnapara canal. On the other side, Monowar Hossain Dipjol, ward commissioner of Mirpur, has constructed a building.
The locals say now floodwater cannot pass through those canals and wetland causing inundation in the areas.
"Some houses in Genda go under waist-deep water as floodwater cannot pass," said Rokeya Begum, vice-chairman of Savar Upazila Parishad.
The fabric industries in the area are extending their premises filling up the adjacent Karnapara Canal, merely 500 metres away from the upazila headquarters. They have also erected bamboo fences on the canal with the aim to fill it up further.
Asked, Mohammed Munir Chowdhury, director, Monitoring and Enforcement, said, "Many of the industries have installed ETP but don't want to spend more money to run it."
He added, "Pollution must be stopped, otherwise the city would not remain liveable anymore."