Old Dhaka, one of the largest trading hubs in the capital, is home to nearly 4,000 chemical warehouses. Among them, 850 have been labelled as risky by authorities and almost none of them have permits.

These warehouses, the majority of which are in residential buildings, store highly flammable chemicals with zero fire safety. Authorities say that these chemicals are capable of fuelling a full-scale inferno.

According to sources at the Explosives Department, Fire Service and the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) these warehouses store hazardous chemicals, such as sodium anhydrous, sodium thiosulfate, hydrogen peroxide, methyl ethyl ketone, isopropyl and toluene, all highly combustible.

Old Dhaka and its infamous warehouses are once again in forefront of discussion because of the Chawkbazar blaze that has killed 69 people so far.

Chemical warehouse tour

Old Dhaka’s Armenian Street, like all the other streets, is densely populated with businesses, people, shopping centres and most importantly chemical warehouses.

The street is narrow with the Mitford Hospital on the west and shopping malls on the north and south.

It is home to one ‘AP Warehouse’ that stores various kinds of chemicals. Almost every building on that street has a chemical or plastic warehouse.

Unfortunately, the landlords don’t really care that chemical factories and warehouses are illegal in residential areas in line with the Environment Conservation Act 1995.

The scenario is the same for Chawkbazar, Hazi Ballu Road, Nalgana, Posta and countless other streets in Old Dhaka. Residents say that there are at least 400 plastic factories and over 1,000 plastic warehouses.

 “Old Dhaka in itself is a death trap,” said Yeasir Arafat Khan, who teaches at the Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology (BUET).

An Assistant Professor at BUET’s Chemical Engineering Department, Khan says apart from people literally living atop the risky warehouses, the power, gas and water lines are also in hazardous conditions.

“Various kinds of chemicals are stored in hundreds of warehouses. The containers in the chemical warehouses may leak and can spread combustible substances into the air. Moreover, plastic itself is highly flammable,” he said.

He said that all of this can at anytime give rise to another Nimtoli or Chawkbazar tragedy.

Old Dhaka’s chemical risk

According to experts, safety and hazard depends on how the chemicals are being stored and used.

The following chemicals are considered as hazardous and highly risky:

Calcium carbonate, sodium carbonate, bleaching powder, glycerin, sodium anhydrous, sodium thiosulfate, hydrogen peroxide, methyl ethyl ketone, thinner, acetone, butyl acetone, isobutanol, dl-2575, ethyl acetate, ethanol, heavy aromatic, isopropyl alcohol , methanol, butafel, methyl iso, A-propyl acetate, propane-1-ol, propylene glycol, toluene , thinner-B, reducer / retarder, thilene / mixed thilene and di-acetone alcohol.

They added that should they come in contact with fire a widespread carnage will be unavoidable.

Nearly all warehouses illegal

The Explosives Department works with petroleum, gas, gas pipeline, explosives and several hazardous substances.

“Storage of petroleum and similar substances must be approved by us,” said its Chief Inspector Md Shamsul Alam.

“No Old Dhaka chemical warehouse has approval. They are all illegal,” he added.

Alam said that the district administration, city corporation and environment department conducts raids from time to time after which the warehouses are shut down, fined and many are sent to jail.

“Even after all that it has become difficult to shut down the illegal warehouses.”

The official said that his department gives approval for 29 types of chemicals but the Old Dhaka businesses sell over 800 and that too without any kind of permission.

Explosives department sources say that a list of highly flammable substances has already been sent to the concerned offices. Moreover, their report already marks the Old Dhaka plastic warehouses, plastic and perfume businesses as hazardous.

Warehouse owners’ defence

Chemical and Perfumery Merchants’ Association President Belayet Hossain says that the number of warehouses in Old Dhaka “can’t be more than 4,000.”

“There are around 2,000 chemical merchants in Old Dhaka but it can’t be specifically said how many warehouses they own,” he told Bangla Tribune.

Evading a direct answer when asked whether the warehouses are approved, the business leader said, “Everyone knows everything.”

According to figures by the chemical traders’ body there are 900 chemical factories in Old Dhaka, says Saiful Alam, the director of the government project for a chemical business zone, the ‘BISIC Chemical Palli’.

 “There’s still the issue of legal and illegal. The traders association conceals a lot of information as well,” he added.

The fire department says that 98 percent of the warehouses are illegal.

The owners didn’t deem it necessary to acquire a licence from the environment department, district administration, explosives department, fire service or the city corporation.

“The warehouses are not equipped to deal with a fire,” said Fire Service and Civil Defence Deputy Director Debashish Bardhan.

He added that almost 850 warehouses are at a risk from fire and it’s not possible to remove them without assistance from the police and the explosives department.