Bangladesh News

The government has decided to relocate tannery industries from Hazaribagh to a place outside the capital by February 28.

It has also set a deadline of June 30 for the industries that dump liquid wastes into water bodies to install effluent treatment plant (ETP).

State Minister for Forest and Environment Hasan Mahmud disclosed it in parliament yesterday while replying to queries from lawmakers.

He said four highly-polluted rivers surrounding the capital were declared ecologically critical and necessary steps were taken to save them.

The High Court in June last year ordered relocation of the tanneries within February 28 this year and asked the authorities concerned to shut down the tanneries that fail to comply with the directive.

The tannery industry at Hazaribagh causes severe environmental pollution and contamination of the water of Buriganga River posing serious health hazards.

The state minister said cases are being filed against the industries that are operating without any ETP.

“The Department of Environment has taken legal actions against 1,423 industries for environmental pollution across the country in the last six months,” he said, placing a list of those industries.

Brickfields, textile mills and dyeing factories are at the top of the list.

At least 55 cases were filed and 38 industries were fined. Besides, 1,330 industries were served with warning notice, Hasan Mahmud said.

CLIMATE CHANGE FUND

The state minister said the government has approved projects involving Tk 60 crore from the climate change fund to tackle the adverse effects of climate change.

He said the government has taken measures to ensure transparency in releasing money from the fund.

“We have received several other project proposals from government and non-government organisations. We are scrutinising them,” Hasan Mahmud said.

The government has included the issues of migration and rise in sea level in its charter to deal with climate change, he said.

The government has taken a project involving $4 million under the UNFCCC for afforestation in the coastal belts, the state minister said.

He said the government has taken a plan to produce organic fertiliser from wastes under the clean development mechanism project