'This time the Committee did not merely recommend, we now have an inter-ministerial agreement to save Dhaleshwari river'

On 27 September, for the first time, all government stakeholders involved with the Savar Tannery Industry, including top officials of industries and commerce ministries, were present at a committee meeting. Not only that but a consensus was reached on saving the Dhaleshwari river from tannery pollution, which exponentially increased since the relocation of Hazirabgh's tanneries to Savar.

Infographic: TBS

Saber Hossain Chowdhury, MP (Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) spoke to The Business Standard about the decisions taken at the meeting and his hopes for the Dhaleshwari river, tanneries and more.

What should be done to save the Dhaleshwari river right now? What do you think?

It is not just the Dhaleshwari river, we are focused on the protection and conservation of the environment, our natural resources, ecosystems and biodiversity as a whole.

It is no secret that the tanneries located in the Hazaribag and pollutants released from there were one of the major causes of the death of Buriganga. The extent and intensity of the pollution of the river were such that even bacteria struggled to survive.

It is ironic and tragic to see that having shifted the tanneries to Hemayetpur in Savar, we are now seeing another river, Dhaleshwari, heading towards the same fate. What then was the point of spending over Tk1,000 crores of taxpayer's money to shift the tanneries?

Dhaleshwari: The near-death of a river

There have been huge planning failures - no provision whatsoever for solid waste treatment and also for the recovery of metals such as chromium. The design of CETP [Common Effluent Treatment Plant] was also faulty. How could a tannery complex be set up without such basic provisions in place? 

Other than the unabated pollution of the Dhaleshwari river, we have to remember that through the fish we have been consuming, we have been ingesting such pollutants. I have witnessed in the past how the solid waste from the tannery estate is carried by vans to poultry farms to be used as feed for the chicken that we end up eating.

The Hemayetpur Tannery Estate is under the Ministry of Industries through BSCIC. Law applies equally to all and none are above or below the law. What we have had at Hemayetpur is that a government agency has been repeatedly violating the law of the land. Thus the Parliamentary Standing Committee, as part of its oversight responsibilities and holding the government to account, moved robustly to ensure compliance with environmental standards and rules.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change was, to begin with, a little hesitant and embarrassed to take action against another Ministry/Government agency but was subsequently fully aligned with the recommendations of the Committee.

Despite constant follow-ups over the past year, there was no meaningful progress on the matter of compliance. Even specific directives of the High Court have not been fully implemented in five years.

The Committee thus decided to invite Secretaries of the Ministries of Industry and Commerce and also Chairman and other officials of BSCIC to its meeting on 27 September. We were also happy to welcome Hon. Minister for State for the Ministry of Industries to our Meeting.

What we have done and achieved is in fact quite remarkable in that as a Parliamentary Standing Committee we were able to facilitate inter-ministerial consultations on a complex subject and reach consensus in terms of a way forward.

It is ironic and tragic to see that having shifted the tanneries to Hemayetpur in Savar, we are now seeing another river, Dhaleshwari, heading towards the same fate as Buriganga. Photo: Mumit M

Usually, Parliamentary Standing Committees only make recommendations but in this specific instance, we have a decision which has been agreed to by all concerned - Ministries of Environment, Industries, Commerce as well as Department of Environment and BSCIC.

Now we all are in alignment, for the first time, on the issue of upholding environmental law, rules and guidelines and thus ensuring compliance. This is a first.

You have taken the decision of dividing tanneries into 3 categories. Could you elaborate on how this will help reduce the damage to the Dhaleshwari River and the environment in general?

The first category consists of those factories that are compliant with the terms of DoE's requirements. The second category consists of tannery units that have not applied for environmental clearance and are nowhere near being compliant. The third category is in between those who are not fully compliant yet but there is a possibility they can achieve compliance over the next six months by following DoE guidelines.

There are currently 139 tannery units in the complex. DoE has assessed 14 of them to be compliant and there might be a few more who may also be assessed to be compliant based on the ongoing evaluations. We wish to encourage and recognise such units and hence they will be given environmental clearance and will be allowed to operate as long as they continue to maintain standards. These units will be in the first category.

Units under the second category will not be given environmental clearance and will have to close down operations forthwith. BSIC and the Commerce Ministry will also cancel their registrations.

The BSCIC will seal off the factory. So, we are all in agreement on that. As a result, they cannot operate as a tannery. We are not closing down the company. The company will exist but it cannot operate within the year.

Now to the question of how Dhaleshwari will be protected from untreated waste. The central ETP's treatment capacity is 25,000 cubic metres of liquid waste a day in two shifts. Per shift, it can treat 12,500 cubic metres of liquid waste. What we have done is to set a ceiling of 20,000 cubic metres of liquid that can be discharged over a 24-hour period and this will require a rostering system of units not operating for certain periods during the day.

We dearly want to rejuvenate and breathe new life into the Dhaleshwari river.

Water used in the tannery industry accumulated near a factory. File Photo: MumitM

Our firm's push for compliance is not just to ensure that the law is upheld. We firmly believe that in the process this will ensure a sustainable long-term future for our leather sector, one that will enhance employment opportunities and at the same time generate substantial foreign exchange for Bangladesh.

What in fact is happening now is we can only export leather to China. Once our leather sector is environmentally compliant and has the requisite certificates from international agencies, we can sell our products in Europe and elsewhere and the whole world is our oyster.

Unlike ready-made garments, where we still have to import some raw material, in the case of leather, all the raw material is sourced locally. We can thus look forward to a vibrant sector.

There have been a number of efforts in the past to rein in the tanneries at the Savar Tannery Estate. Why have they failed so far?

We have been trying for around one and a half years. I think it has not been successful for the lack of coordination. It was not an easy decision [to take on 27 September]. There was pressure from different quarters. Development is not just about earning foreign exchange and employment opportunities. These are of course important considerations but for development to be sustainable, it has to be environment friendly. I do see increasing win-wins when we talk nowadays about the need to develop and do so by protecting the environment.

For this reason, we have taken the initiative from the parliamentary standing committee to bring all [stakeholders] to a single platform and we have taken the decision on hearing everyone and everyone accepted it.

Look, it is an inter-ministerial decision. All the stakeholders have been consulted. There is consensus. So now, there is no reason why this decision will not be implemented and if it is not, we will have no option but to close down the estate in its entirety.

Accountability is critical. We are happy to learn the Ministry of Industry / BSIC has initiated a process to ascertain why there were so many failings and shortfalls in the planning of the facilities at Savar and we look forward to action being taken against those responsible.

What was the point of shifting them there, if they continue to pollute the environment?

I said at the meeting that we shifted to save Buriganga, but, in the process, now we are killing another river. Buriganga is almost dead. What then was the point in shifting to a new location? If polluting rivers continue to be the norm, then we should have stayed in Hazaribag and limited the damage to just one river.

What is your observation about the state of Dhaleshwari? Can we recover the damage soon?

It will not happen overnight. The environment has been brutalised for many years. You cannot get rid of these effects overnight. Hopefully, we have made a new start. It is also not just the tannery industry, we will have to look into other pollution caused by other industries too.

Photo: MumitM

Basically, we will have to reimagine the development. On one hand, we are working for development and on the other hand, we are destroying everything in the name of development. This mode or pattern of development is not sustainable. Let's learn from our mistakes and not repeat them.

Dhaleshwari's dire state

• The minimum level of oxygen of Dhaleshwari River should be 200mg/per litre. But it is two to three times less.
• The permissible level of metal in the water is 2mg/per litre. But the amount of chromium in Dhaleshwari is 5 to 7 mg/per litre.
• The Savar tannery estate generates around 64,000 tonnes of solid waste every year. 
• There are around 100 illegal structures, two bazars and 26 factories on the banks of Dhaleshwari (including Akij and Dhaka Tobacco).