The process of relocation of tanneries from the capital to Leather industrial town of Savar is started on, but the effects of pollution are still obvious in Hazaribagh. Electricity, gas, and water were disconnected from Hazaribagh tannery factories on the 8th of April this year, according to the High Court order. Although the processing and production of raw skin in Hazaribagh tanneries have been stopped for the last five months, the environment is similar to the previous one.
The entire area including the sides of roads, behind the shops, sewers are full of tannery wastes which contain the raw skin particles and factory wastes. The stink spreads from them with rainwater. Factories are relocated but who will remove this wastes? Nowadays this question is a talkative issue of the locals.
On Wednesday (August 16th) and Thursday (17th August), we went to visit the Hazaribagh Bazar to the ‘Beribadh’ (embankment), on the roadside, there is the stack of skin. Going ahead there are some shops, to sell leather wastes.
On the other hand, several factories have been found, where machines are running. After talking with the employees of the factories, some connections were renegotiated, two months after the connection was disconnected in April. But now the bags, shoes and other things are made with dry skin.
Going from Hazaribagh Bazar to the ‘Beribadh’ (embankment), a worker was seen working on a leather machine in a small room by the street. On this regard worker, Anwar said, "The setting and finishing of leather done here”.
Bangladesh Tanners Association (BTA) president Shaheen Ahmed told the Bangla Tribune, "On April 8, after the connection (power, gas) was cut off, the permission came from the High Court on April 9 (April 9), and factories will be able to do such work which will not do any harm to environment. After this, we got electricity connection for pollution-free work through the Department of Environment. Now the pollution-free work is done here.”
When contacted, the Directorate's Assistant Director Saiful Ashraf said, "Only the factories have been given electricity connections, which work in pollution-free jobs."
Meanwhile, local people complained that the factory was closed but the dirt did not move. The dirt that was before is not removed yet. With the rainwater, the dirt of the skin is spreading stink. Apart from this, some factories continue to carry out leather processing in the name of pollution-free work. But workers are throwing in the wastes in dark by the road and in the docks. As a result, it is very difficult to survive. Tanneries are relocated, but who will clean this wastes?
When asked about the matter, the Chief Executive Officer of Dhaka South City Corporation Belal Hossain told the Bangla Tribune, "The dirt that is in Hazaribagh is basically of the factories. There is no way to throw these wastes here and there. Factory owners themselves will remove the wastes. City Corporation mainly cleans household waste. He further said, "However, sometimes we have been forced to move the wastes of Hazaribagh factories. When I saw that the wastes are beside the road, causing problems for the general people, then we bound to remove the wastes from there.
But if the owners do not remove that dirt, then who will remove them? Replying to this question, he said, "Since there is no factory in Hazaribagh now, we will discuss with the employees to fix the area to be cleaned."
