Form national chemical committee immediately

The stakeholders of public and private sectors of chemical industries in a recently held workshop have made it clear that the country’s chemical management system is in a bad shape. Currently, Bangladesh is exporting chemicals worth more than Tk 160 billion. The amount would be doubled in the next 10 years. We need a chemical management infrastructure as the country marches towards development. We have a number of government departments, organisations or laws to oversee the chemical products of the country but unfortunately the authorities concerned show reluctance to implement the relevant laws.

Had the government shifted the chemical warehouses from Old Dhaka after the Nimtoli fire incident, the recent fire incident of Chawkbazar could have been avoided. However, the chemical management system is far from satisfactory in our country. Becoming a middle income country from least developed one brings several challenges for us. Chemical management is one such challenge.

We are seemingly unaware of other dangers of chemicals, while terrorists are using chemical weapons in various parts of the world. After the tragic Chawkbazar fire, the authorities are only focusing on shifting chemical warehouses from densely populated Old Dhaka. There are lots of other issues related with chemicals which need to be focused. We think it will be easier to bring changes in this sector in the present context.

We want to express our appreciation to United States’ state department’s Chemical Security Programme (CSP) for their engagement with Bangladesh. Authorities of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and Dhaka University successfully engaged 35 stakeholders, public and private, related to the chemical sector. However, chemical businessmen, too, should be involved in the process. We hope a national chemical coordination committee or council would be formed under the cabinet division within three months in line with the recommendations of the stakeholders.

Neighbouring India has such a council. We agree with stakeholders and experts from home and abroad that chemical substances should not be feared. But chemicals can lead to a disaster that cannot be handled easily. The stakeholders emphasised creating awareness at all levels about chemical substances. Moreover, the related laws should be implemented properly.

However, the issue of chemical safety should not be assigned only to the government while the country is undergoing industrial expansion. European company DuPont made their own rules and regulations for using the chemical named Teflon for production of non-stick cookware. Many countries followed DuPont’s regulations. If Bangladeshi companies take such measures, it would be convenient for the government to make laws and implement those. The speakers also agreed that the government should not be given all the responsibilities alone.