Polluting Buriganga: HC orders DoE to file cases against 30 plants

The High Court today directed the Department of Environment (DoE) to lodge a case against 30 washing plants in Keraniganj area in 30 days for polluting the water of Buriganga river in the area.

The factories are: Ahmed Hossain, Amena, Sun Moon, Eden, Bismillah, Lotus, Global, Rubel, Anushka, Sotota, Chanchal, Abdur Rob, Dhaka, Ajan, New Sahara, Dohar, Relative, New Nasha, Unique, Mow, Setu, Quality, Joena, Kalam, Water Colour, Par Joar, GM, Cumilla, Achhia and Lily water plants.

During the hearing of a writ petition, the HC ordered the authorities concerned of the government to stop dumping waste into Buriganga.

The authorities concerned and the local representatives have been directed to monitor the situation so that no one can dump waste into Buriganga river and to take appropriate legal action if any individual or organisation pollutes its water and environment.

The HC also ordered them to submit separate reports to this court on the progress of complying with the directives on the first Sunday of every month.

The HC bench of Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore and Justice Mohammad Ullah passed the order while hearing the writ petition filed by rights organisation Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) in May 2010 seeking necessary directives to save the Buriganga from pollution.

The petitioner's lawyer Manzill Murshid told the HC that according a report submitted by the DoE, 30 washing plants at Keraniganj area are dumping waste into the Buriganga River and are polluting its water and environment in violation of the law and court directives.

The DoE had shut down the polluting factories for two times and they have started operation further are damaging the environment and polluting water of Buriganga River, he said.

Manzill Murshid said there are rules in the law for filing cases against such polluting factories, but the DoE has not filed any case.

Deputy Attorney General Kazi Mynul Hasan represented the government while lawyer Amatul Karim appeared for DoE.