Public health is expendable

THE never ending saga of tannery relocation from Hazaribagh is now entering into its 12th year. The planned move to Savar was first declared by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia during her first term in government in 2002. Indeed, a Memorandum of Understanding had been signed between the government of the day and tannery associations in 2003 to that effect. Yet, today we are still wrangling over costs of relocation and timelines while public health goes down the toilet. The constant dithering by successive governments only make the case of “absentee regulator” more prominent than ever where industry rules the roost, the relevant ministries hibernate and the public pick up the pieces of a toxic environment that has run havoc with the city's water supply and food chain.
There is no end to proof of untreated effluent dumping by tanneries into Buriganga River that serves as the main water supply for Dhaka city. Conclusive proof of “environmentally hazardous” material entering into the river includes ammonium, sulphur and chromium. Dhaka had the honour of being awarded one of the 30 worst polluted cities in 2007 by Blacksmith Institute. Human Rights Watch estimates that the industry located in Hazaribagh produces approximately 75 metric tonnes of solid waste consisting of “salts and bones along with leather shavings and trimmings.” This is in addition to the more than 21km of liquid waste. The end result of so much industrial grade waste ending up in the soil, water supply and the food chain is an alarming rise in skin and kidney diseases, diarrhoea and cancer that affect more than just the residents of Hazaribagh.
What is alarming to note is that a lot of this polluting material is ending up in the food chain, particularly the poultry and fish sectors. A report published in The Daily Star on July 24, 2010 illustrates the depth of the problem, “around 100 small traders in and around Hazaribagh who use raw tannery waste as ingredients and supply those to some 20 feed factories across the country. The practice of using tannery waste for fish and poultry feed started around 10 years ago, as the price of imported protein for feed has gone up over the years…A study in 2007 conducted by Dhaka University and Bangladesh Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (BSCIR) found higher rate of chromium in eggs and poultry meat than the tolerable level.” Health experts and practitioners agree that the use of chromium in feed for poultry or fish may end up in the human anatomy when we consume these products, which in turn could cause cancer.
Indeed the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital has recorded progressive rates of cancer patients treated at its facility from 2005 to 2008 and the rate of increase has been anywhere between 10 to 20 per cent. Apparently, factory owners found it more expedient, not to mention profitable, to sell the waste instead of cleaning it. With waste running to anywhere between 1- 5 tonnes per day depending on the size of the factory, it certainly stands to reason why it shouldn't be sold, especially when there is hardly any oversight on such activity by any authority. The waste is recycled and sold it to middlemen who in turn grind the matter and sell it to fish and poultry feed factories. It is hardly surprising to see an ancillary industry of grinding mills sprouting up in the Hazaribagh area.
Getting back to the saga of relocation and dithering at policy level, the latest offering that has come from the government is the “threat” to cancel allotments of industrial plots at Savar Tannery Park if relocation does not take place within the declared specified timeframe. It is ironic that in Bangladesh, a crisis becomes a crisis only in the face of an impending embargo. Many European buyers are threatening a boycott on the multi-billion dollar industry unless this happens. We hardly ever take decisions based on our own needs or assessment. It is unfortunate that in our case, changes like tannery relocation for safeguarding the environment and public health or adhering to building code to ensure safety of occupants must always inadvertently take place when faced with external pressure.
The government has apparently been spurred into action since the leather industry is slated to generate anywhere up to US$5billion from its current $1billion after relocation. However, one should take these admonishments with a pinch of salt. That building codes for plant designs are yet to be finalised for a large number of tanneries set to relocate speaks volumes of the seriousness with which the matter is being viewed. With December, 2014, the deadline a mere 8 months away and the issue of which party will pay for what portion of the central effluent treatment plant, it is natural to be suspicious whether this deadline will be met.

The writer is Assistant Editor, The Daily Star