The environment of Narayanganj has been polluted severely due to the indiscriminate emission of fumes. There is no even clean air for the residents, while waste disposal industries have been set up in residential areas without any measures to pure the wastage.
Although the Department of Environment (DoE) has started the work against the unauthorized and unsuitable brick kilns in Narayanganj following the direction of the High Court, the activities of the authorities concerned are not sufficient, said experts and environmentalists.
According to Dyeing Factory Owners’ Association and other traders, there almost 500 dyeing factories, 450 readymade garments factories, thirty re-rolling mills, fifty salt boilers, thirty-five tune (lime) vati, ten cement factories, seventy stone crush centers and thee hundred fifty brick kilns. The factories and brick kilns emit fumes and deliver wastage on air, open space, river and canals every day in the district, contributing to air and environmental pollution.
As a result, the public health caused hazard day by day with suffering from various diseases and at the same time cultivable lands losing crops production gradually.
Industrial wastage had already been polluted water of Shitalakhya, Buriganga and Balu River and hundreds link canals that water flow connected with these rivers. Sometimes, the DoE fine different textile industries on charge of Shitalakhya river pollution. Sufferers claimed that some corrupted DoE officials taking hush money gave the clearance to the industry owners. So, the industry owners never count any allegation of the local sufferers or any demonstration. Among the seven thana area most of the dyeing factories are in Fatulla, Rupganj and Sadar thana. Brick kilns are in Fatulla and Sonargoan and Rupganj area. Lime factories are in Shiddhirganj thana. Re-rolling mills are in Fatulla especially Pagla and Panchabati areas.
Most of dyeing factories have no effluent treatment plant (ETP) and also it did not set up in isolated places. It’s delivered poisonous water into public used canals and emit smoke in the residential area resulted people became sick day by day. Unplanned industries are affecting both public health and natural water sources. People once where used to bath and other works of homestead now that turned into useless.
Except rivers, some important canals which were connected with river and used for people but those became abandoned. People several times staged demonstration to save Kaliani Khal, Deobhog Khal, Shastapur Khal, Jalkuri Khal and other canals. But no initiative taken yet from the authorities concerned.
Besides, most of the canals as per record in revision survey (RS) marked in the map had already been grabbed and constructed on that land resulted hampering sewerage system. Almost all brick kilns are Baktabali area under Fatulla thana and Rupganj thana posing devastating environment status and those uses woods as fuel and low height kilns so that created random smoke which engulf adjacent area. Not only this some brick kilns but also encroached the Buriganga river bed.
When the re-rolling mills run people of that area could not live in their residence due to smoke and hit.
A sufferer named Sazzad Hossain of Deobhog Banglabazar area under Fatulla thana alleged that a dyeing factory “united dyeing” at his residence adjacent emit smoke and poisonous chemical to a canal that linked with both Shitalakhya and Buriganga river. He also said that he himself and other residence have demanded to refrain from the environment damaging but the owner of united dyeing did not count them.
Sufferers from Kashipur, baktabali and others area demanded that the industry owner must have to run their factory to maintain environment law as we do not affected. The sufferers also said that all industry must have to withdraw from residential zone.
Different organizations and sufferers had been demanded to safe the environment as per law but none cared it yet.
President of an environment organization named NIRVIK said that smoke emit industry in residential area and loses of canal and natural water sources we have to fall in irreparable injury. He termed the government organization said the concern organ of the government failed to administrate. As per rule we cannot fill our pond, but how the public property as canal filled by grabbers, he added.
However, none of the industrialist pay heeds on law or law enforcing agencies as resulted the environment deteriorated day by day. Very recent a survey report delivered as the most polluted air in Narayanganj even than the capital city in the country.
