Savar Tannery Estate: How ready is it for this Eid?

With only a day left for Eid-ul-Adha, the main season for the country's leather industry for rawhide collection, the tanneries of the Bscic Tannery Industrial Estate in Savar are gearing up to receive rawhides of sacrificial animals for preservation and processing.  

Industry insiders said 60% of the total demand for rawhide in the leather sector is collected during Eid-ul-Adha. 

To deal with the increased pressure of rawhide arrivals during the Eid season, and also considering the problems faced in the past years, the authorities of the Savar Tannery Estate and its common effluent treatment plant (CETP) said they already have taken all-out measures.  

"In view of the Eid season, several initiatives have been undertaken in addition to the overhauling of the CETP of the Bscic Leather Industrial Estate," Md Golam Shahnewaz, managing director of Dhaka Tannery Industrial Estate Wastage Treatment Plant Company Ltd, told The Business Standard on Thursday.

Tanners, their association, and the estate's authorities are hopeful of a successful Eid season compared to previous years.

A visit to the Savar Tannery Estate on 13 June revealed that the necessary preparations were ongoing at the tanneries for collection and preservation of rawhides since the day of Eid. Various upgrading works have been done to increase the treatment quality of CETP, and two ponds have been excavated for solid waste removal.

Uninterrupted power supply for 3 months post Eid

Mahfujur Rahman Rijwan, executive engineer of Bscic Tannery Industrial Estate, told TBS that they have meanwhile discussed with the relevant officials of Palli Bidyut to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the industrial city for three months after Eid to avoid any potential damage to rawhides.

"The Power Division has assured us that the industrial estate will be load-shedding-free during this period if there is no exceptional problem."

Rijwan added that from the day of Eid to 6am the next day, more than 50 volunteers will work in the industrial city to ensure smooth movement and unloading of rawhide carrying trucks.

Also, the district administration will cooperate with the estate for smooth transportation of rawhides, he added.

Initiatives aim at improved CETP treatment; more equipment activated 

Md Golam Shahnewaz, managing director of Dhaka Tannery Industrial Estate Wastage Treatment Plant Company Ltd, told TBS that in view of the Eid season, the activities undertaken at the Bscic Leather Industrial Estate include activation of 16-17 air blowers and four equalisation tanks, renovation work of effluent pumping stations, and other technical and mechanical renovations.

He said there was only four air blower and one equilisation tank was activated at the estate last year.

Meanwhile, a chemical dosing pump has been renovated, and a broken fine screen has been repaired by the company's own engineer, saving approximately Tk1.25 crore, he added.

Shahnewaz further said at least Tk7-8 crore worth of work was in their pipeline on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha to improve the performance of the tannery estate, and all the expenses are from the company's funds. 

Regarding the extra pressure on the CETP during Eid, he said, "The capacity of CETP will automatically improve with the work we have done."

Pre-treatment facility and chrome recovery unit yet to be set up

The Department of Environment says pre-treatment is mandatory for every tannery in the industrial estate, but none of them are implementing it. Recently, setting up a chrome recovery plant in every tannery has been made mandatory, but no progress has been seen in its implementation yet.

Jahirul Islam Talukder, deputy director of the Department of Environment (Dhaka district), told TBS, none of the tanneries in the Savar Industrial Estate have pre-treatment facilities, and no progress is seen regarding establishment of chrome recovery units too.

He said the department is not taking any action [against the tanneries] regarding the lack of pre-treatment facilities for now, as no decision has been taken yet to this end.

However, General Secretary of Bangladesh Tanners Association and owner of Salma Tannery, Md Sakhawat Ullah said, "The pre-treatment facilities in tanneries are now much better than before.

"The Department of Environment also took action against six tanneries on this issue. So, these complaints are not justified," he added. 

Regarding the issue of chrome recovery unit installation, he said the authorities of the CETP are supposed to do it, and it is unreasonable to impose it on the tanners as they pay bills and charges.

1.10cr piece of rawhides expected 

General Secretary of Bangladesh Tanners Association and owner of Salma Tannery, Md Sakhawat Ullah told TBS that this year, they have a target of collecting 1.10 crore pieces of rawhides of sacrificial animals, including cows, buffalo and goats. 

He said 1 crore pieces of rawhides were collected last Eid-ul-Adha.