Will tanneries now destroy the river Dhaleswari?

Will the tannery industrial estate of Savar eventually become another Hazaribagh? The symptoms are already apparent. Over the the past 17 years, there have been eforts to move the tanneries of Hazaribagh in the capital to Savar. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina said at an ECNEC meeting on Tuesday that the ongoing project should be completed by June.

We hope the government will be steadfast in its decision and not extend the deadline. It is time to inform the respective authorities involved with the project that this time they will have to take responsibility if they fail.

But the quality of the work done under the project so far is more a matter of concern than the deadline. The cost of the project was reduced to 630 million taka from 10.78 billion taka while the costs in any other government project increase every year. The most disappointing part is, the new tannery estate started in a discouraging condition.

The tannery owners and the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) are accusing each other about glitches in the waste removal process and its managerial failures.

Visiting the tannery industry in Savar last October, the industries minister, prime minister's advisor, and the secretary of the industries ministry found some disturbing evidence in the presence of the BSCIC chairman. They observed from their meeting place that the waste through the sewage was mixed with the river water of Dhaleswari. However, it is not known whether effective steps have been taken to improve the situation.

Tannery owners say the waste is being pumped into the central waste refinery or CETP. But it doesn't work properly. On the other hand, not only the BSCIC official, a BUET advisory team in charge of building a CETP accused the tannery owners for the condition. A Prothom Alo reporter visited the area every October for two years in a row. The reporter found dreadful evidence of waste mixed with Dhaleshwari water, approaching towards the fate of the river Buriganga.

However, the key purpose of the tannery relocation was to save public health and in particular, to save Buriganga. The High Court made the owners and authorities of the tannery move the tannery to save the river. But the irony is that now another river is at risk. The question now is, is it possible to build a satisfactory tannery estate after spending millions by next June? Will this development, destroying Dhaleshwari River, make us happy? There is no doubt that apart from the quality of its products, waste management is integral to the development of one of the country's largest export-oriented tannery industries.

We are fine if the project will be completed by the end of June, but the environment must not be compromised. The allegations against the tanneries are that they leave the waste removed from the animal hide along and cause the the pipelines to jam up.

High-level political intervention may be the only solution to protect the tannery industry that is facing too many obstacles before it begins full-fledged operation.