Deaths in Old Dhaka fires rising, yet chemical factories not shifted

More than 200 people have been killed in the last 12 years in horrific fires at chemical godowns and plastic factories in the capital's Old Dhaka area, but those have not yet been relocated to avoid such tragedies in the future.

Following such accidents, the government formed investigation committees and task forces that recommended relocating factories vulnerable to hazards and not issuing any new licence for these businesses. Despite the new ban on licensing, the business is growing and illegally.

In the latest accident on 4 November, five people were killed in a fire at Rumana Rubber Industries, a shoe factory near Gani Mia Hat near Soarighat in Kamalbagh in Old Dhaka. Locals said there were a significant number of barrels full of chemicals as well as a variety of easily combustible plastics and rubber there.

Fire service authorities said there was no approval from the government for the factory.

Including the accident, there have been four major fires in the area in the last 12 years.

Among these, the biggest fire in the history of the country took place on 3 June 2010 in Old Dhaka's Nimtali. At least 124 people were killed in that devastating fire at a chemical warehouse.

Again, on 20 February 2019, 78 people died in the fire in Waheed Mansion at Churihatta in Chawk Bazar. Two years later, in April of this year, four people were killed in a fire at Haji Musa Manson in Armanitola.

Fire service authorities said the fire might have broken out due to an electrical short circuit, but locals said the fire originated from chemicals, spread rapidly and burned down several shops and a market in the area, including a shoe factory.

Locals say there are hundreds of shoe-sandal factories and more than 200 chemical godowns in the Soarighat area, most of which are used for chemical factories and storage without any approval from authorities.

Experts say that it is not being possible to shift the business from Old Dhaka and take it elsewhere due to the negligence of the authorities.

While presenting a report on 7 October, the government's Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Department (IMED) said the Bscic Chemical Industrial Park and Bscic Plastic Industrial City project, which started in 2018 to relocate these godowns and factories to the Munshiganj area around Dhaka, was only 35% complete.

Another project taken by the government is underway in the Shyampur area of ​​the capital. Although some godowns and factories are suitable for relocation there, no one is leaving the Old Dhaka area.

An IMED official told The Business Standard the government plans to relocate godowns and factories from Old Dhaka to these two areas by June next year, but the project is unlikely to be implemented before 2024.

He added that the land development work of the project is still largely pending. No plan has been taken so far for river management on the banks of the River Ichhamati. Besides, various basic works including electricity connection, drainage, sewer line, gas connection, etc have not started yet, which will take a long term to be completed.

Urban planner and architect Iqbal Habib said the government lacked the sincerity to remove these chemical godowns and factories. After each incident, those concerned assure people that steps would be taken but they forgot everything after a short while.

Besides the government's lack of sincerity, the invisible influence of many influential businessmen and individuals is working behind it. Since most of the traders involved in these businesses are locals of Old Dhaka, they are not willing to leave the area and do business elsewhere.

According to a study conducted by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) in September last year, there were 2,397, 1,977 and 2,953 fires in the Dhaka metropolis in 2014, 2015 and 2016, respectively.

More accidents occur in old Dhaka. In 2018, at least 468 fires broke out in the Lalbagh, Hazaribagh, Sadarghat and Siddiqbazar areas of Old Dhaka.

After each fire, the recommendations of the investigation committee and task force are given, but there is a lack of implementation and follow-up of the instructions. Especially after the Nimtali tragedy in 2010, even after the 17-point recommendation was made by the investigation committee and the order was issued by the High Court, there was widespread reluctance and deviation in following those recommendations and instructions.

As a result, there was a recurrence of heavy casualties in the Churihatta fire in 2019.

According to the TIB study, there are about 15,000 warehouses in Old Dhaka that have 5,000 types of chemicals. Some of these chemicals are highly flammable. There are also about 1,000 plastic factories and warehouses in the area.

After the Churihatta fire, chemical warehouses and factories were decided to be removed to Shyampur, Tongi and Munshiganj in 2019. Although work is underway in Shyampur, no significant initiative has been taken to remove these warehouses so far, TIB said.

TIB Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman told TBS that there were various irregularities and corruption in the removal of chemical warehouses from Old Dhaka due to a three-pronged entente – political influence, collusion of unscrupulous officials and dishonest traders.

Extensive opportunities for corruption and irregularities have also been created because of the licensing authority. There is a fear of recurrence of major accidents if strict control of irregularities and corruption is not possible, he added.

Rabiul Awal Mithu, proprietor of Mark Chemical Supply in ​​Old Dhaka, said, "Despite the government's move to relocate the godown to Shyampur, a suitable environment has not yet been created there. It is also difficult for us to relocate our 40-year-old business to another area. The traders have no objection if the government ensures all the facilities."

However, Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun told TBS that the projects for relocating these godowns and factories are in full swing. As the projects get bigger, a little more time has been taken.

Separate writ petitions were filed in the HC after the Nimtali tragedy, Churihatta and Musa Mansion incidents in Dhaka. At different times, different benches of the HC issued a rule asking why the inaction of the authorities concerned for these incidents should not be declared illegal. So far, these rules are awaiting a hearing.

In a writ petition filed after a fire broke out in the Churihatta area last year, the HC expressed displeasure with the bureaucrats, saying, "Even though the Prime Minister has worked hard for the development of the country, the bureaucrats have not been able to implement a recommendation. If those recommendations are implemented, 80% of accidents can be controlled. In this case, there is the negligence of bureaucrats as well as businessmen. We need an overall plan for old Dhaka."