Factory pollutants keep croplands fallow in Mirzapur
Dead from toxic factory wastes, fishes float on water at Adhipana farm in Mirzapur. The photo was taken on Sunday. Photo: STAR
Toxic factory wastes released by a cotton mill are polluting waters and the environment in and around Gorai industrial area in Mirzapur in the district, local people alleged.
Fishes of local water bodies and trees are dying due to pollution.
Besides, croplands in vast areas remain fallow due to water logging, allegedly created by authorities of Naheed Cotton Mills', locals said.
Fishes worth about Tk 10 lakh at Adhipana Fish Farm adjacent the factory started dying on Saturday (February 23), allegedly due to release of factory waste, according to a general diary (GD) filed with Mirzapur police station on Sunday by its owner Shafiqul Islam of Nazirpara village.
When contacted, Badrul Alam, officer-in-charge (OC) of the police station said they are investigating the matter.
This correspondent while visiting the fish farm on Sunday saw different varieties of dead fishes weight from one kilogram to five kilograms floating on water, emitting bad smell.
Shafiqul also claimed that he was compelled to close down his fish hatchery and a poultry farm nearby three years ago due to pollution by the factory wastes.
"Over 1,000 special varieties of guava trees of my garden died due to the pollution," said Shafiqul.
“I lodged a complaint to the director general of Naheed Cotton Mills in March last year seeking solution to the matter but did not get any result yet”, he said.
Refuting the allegations, Nabiul Islam, assistant manager (administration) of Naheed Cotton Mills', claimed that the factory wastes are not harmful to the environment. “Moreover, we have a sophisticated yarn-conditioning unit”, he said.
"There is no reason for fishes to die from cotton wastes," he added.
Locals also alleged that the factory authorities constructed a massive godown two years ago, which stopped the natural water flow, creating a permanent water-logging and turning croplands fallow.
Waj Uddin, 60, of Purbo Nazirpara village alleged that his 120 decimal croplands have gone under water after the mill authorities built the godown. "I got paddy two times a year earlier but the lands remains fallow now," he said.
He said the factory authorities gave him a one time compensation of only Tk 80 per decimal land.
Widow Anwara Begum, 45, of the same village said her 30 decimal cropland are under water and seven mango trees and several bamboo clusters have died.
"A local public representative proposed me to sell my land to the mill but I did not agree," she added.
Refuting the allegations, the factory authorities said they did not fill up any water body by violating law. "We only levelled some uneven lands of the factory out of necessity," one official said.
Elderly Abdur Rahim, a resident adjacent to the mill, said he and his three brothers had 425 decimal lands adjacent the factory. “We had to sell 200 decimal lands to them at lower prices one year ago and shift houses due to the heat releasing by generators of the factory”, he said.
"Now factory authorities want to buy more 40 decimal of our ancestral lands in front of my dwelling house," he added.
Terming all the allegations 'false and baseless', Mohammad Ibrahim, senior manager (accounts) of the mill's head office in Dhaka, told The Daily Star that Gorai is an industrial area and Naheed Cotton Mills was set up after taking permission from all departments concerned.
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