Tannery Industry in Bangladesh: Good or Bad?
Tannery Industry in Bangladesh: Good or bad? 1
Prepared for Dr. Md. Monirul Islam (Monir !sso"iate Professor Department of #n$ironmental %tudies and Management &orth %outh 'ni$ersity
Prepared by Group: ) ID
&ame
T.M. T.M. *atul Islam !bir &oor !ri"Tania 0asmin #$a a2i Ta3hid !2i2 Md. amrul Islam
1+,1)+ 1+,/,+ 1+,1,11+ 1+,1, 11+ 1+,1145+ 1+,56/+
Date: 7ebruary ,48 ,15
9etter of Transmittal Transmittal 7ebruary ,+8 ,15
Dr. Md. Monirul Islam (Monir ,
!sso"iate Professor8 Department of #n$ironmental %tudies and management8 &orth %outh 'ni$ersity8 'ni$ersit y8 Dha-a.
%ube"t: %ubmission of report on ;Tannery Industry in Bangladesh: Good or Bad< Dear %ir8 =ere is the report that 3e assigned on the topi" of tannery industry in Bangladesh: good or bad that you ga$e us. The report has been "ompleted by the -no3ledge that 3e ha$e gathered from the "ourse ;Introdu"tion to #n$ironmental %"ien"e<. >e are grateful to all those persons 3ho pro$ided us important information and ga$e us $aluable ad$i"es. >e 3ould be pleased if you read the report "arefully. >e ha$e tried our label best to "omplete this proe"t meaningfully and "orre"tly. >e do belie$e that our tiresome effort 3ill help you to get ahead 3ith this sort of $enture. In this "ase it 3ill be meaningful to us. =o3e$er8 if you need any assistan"e in interpreting this proe"t please "onta"t us 3ithout any -ind of hesitation. Than- you for your time and "onsideration.
0our sin"erely8
T.M. T.M. *atul Islam
1+,1)+
!bir &oor !ri"-
1+,/,+
Tania 0asmin 0asmin #$a
1+,1,11+ 1+,1 ,11+
a2i Ta3hid Ta3hid !2i2
1+,1145+
Md. amrul Islam
1+,56/+
I&D#
+
Name
Topic
Page
Md. Kamrul Islam
Tannery as an Industry
06
Abir Noor Arick
Expanding Economy
Ka!i Ta"#id Ta"#id A!i!
$ater $ater Pollution Pollutio n
%
Tania Tania &asmin E'a
Air Pollution Pollutio n
(0
T.M. T. M. )atul Islam
Planning *or *uture Tannery Industry
(+
Executive Summary >e are passing through the age of globali2ation 3here there has been a $ital "hange in the 3orld en$ironment regarding produ"ing "arbon and many others "hemi"al things 4
in many produ"ti$e businesses from the beginning of ,1st "entury. >e are mo$ing to3ards produ"tion produ"tion business but 3e are not "on"ern about the negati$e impa"t of this type of produ"tion business li-e tannery industry in our "ountry. #n$ironmental issues no3 a great problem for all the "ountries in the 3orld not only for Bangladesh. #n$ironmental #n$ironmental %"ien"e is the most superior and su""essful -ey to sol$e this negati$e en$ironmental issues. &ot a single "ountry is no3 free from negati$e impa"t of en$ironment. en$ironment. The only 3ay to "ope 3ith this 3e ha$e to understand mutually and do something signifi"antly to eradi"ate this en$ironmental problem.
This proe"t pro$ides an analysis and e$aluation of "urrent topi" in our "ountry. The topi" is tannery industry in Bangladesh: good or bad? 0eh8 this is a @uestion. Aur ans3er is ne3tral. Be"ause e"onomi"ally 3e are getting positi$e impa"t for this tannery industry but en$ironmentally this is harmful.
Aur study is on the tannery as an industry8 industry8 e"onomi" gro3th8 pollution pollution li-e 3ater and air and "omparison bet3een these things. >e >e ha$e done our best and 3e get a neutral ans3er and that is tannery industry in Bangladesh is not bad but 3e ha$e to thin- at first about our en$ironment and 3e ha$e to do it e"o friendly 3ay not only thin- e"onomi"ally.
5
The e"onomy of Bangladesh is mar-et base e"onomy. e"onomy. The e"onomy is in"reasingly led by epo eport rtCo Cori rien ente ted d
indu indust stri rial ali2 i2at atio ion. n.
The
Bangl Banglade adesh sh teti tetile le indust industry ry is the the se"ond se"ondCC largest in the 3orld. Ather -ey se"tors in"lude pharma"euti"als8 "erami"s8 leather goods and ele"troni"s.
Tannery as an industry The history of the leather se"tor and tannery industry in Bangladesh started in 164 3hen *.P %aha set up first tannery in &arayangan. It 3as shifted to =a2aribagh =a2aribagh area of Dha-a. !t present8 the leather se"tor of Bangladesh has ,, pro"essing units lo"ated at different parts of the "ountry. Today the leather se"tor is a maor industry in the "ountry. The basis of this se"tor is the domesti" supply of ra3hides and s-ins of goat8 "o3 and buffalo. Total "apital in$ested in the tannery industry is estimated at Ta-a ,.5 billion. Bangladesh "urrently produ"es around ,+. million s@. meters of leather and leather goods per year. !""ording to 9eather %e"tor ensus %tudy8 ,5 total produ"tion 3as.
Name of production
Amount o* ,eat#er in s-uare *eet
"et blue leat#er
+5)
rust leat#er
))1/, 1+4,
/inis#ed leat#er
236052000
Total
Tannery industries o* anglades#
9eath 9eather er is the basis basis of one of the oldest oldest indust industrie riess in Bangl Banglad adesh esh and play playss a signifi"ant role in the national e"onomy. This is an agroCbased byCprodu"t industry 3ith 3ith lo"all lo"ally y a$aila a$ailable ble indig indigeno enous us ra3 mater materia ials ls ha$ing ha$ing a potent potential ial for for epor eportt de$elopment. Bangladesh leather is 3idely -no3n around the 3orld for its high @ualities of fine grain8 uniform fibre8 smooth feel and natural teture. This is a great )
respe"t respe"t for our "ountry "ountry and a great great moti$atio moti$ation n for tannery tannery industry industry.. =ere some tannery industry that suited in =a2aribagh.
ompany Name
Product and se'ices
A. 1ultan ,eat#er Enterprise. A2, K3AI) TANNE)& TANNE)& Akata Enterprise A&2 )4T3E)1 TANNE)& ,T5 East Asia Tanneries ,td Elite ,eat#er Export /akunda ,eat#er 3abiba ,eat#er omplex Ital engal ,eat#ers
Hide & Skin Hide & Skin Hide & Skin Hide & Skin Hide & Skin Hide & Skin Hide & Skin Hide & Skin Crust Crust & Finishe inished d Leath Leather er Manufa Manufactu cturr
KA,AM )4T3E)1 TANNE)& TANNE)& ,T5 ,T5 ,eat#er one ,ink International Mark ,eat#er omplex Me#erun Enterprise Mukta Tannery ,td P#oenix ,eat#er omplex ,td 1arm ,eat#er International co.
Ex!rter" Leather & Leather #!!ds Ex!rter Hide & Skin Hide & Skin Hide & Skin Leather & Leather #!!ds $annery $annery Hide & Skin Hide & Skin
,eat#er 7 ,eat#er 8oods9 !bout 65Eof leather and leather produ"ts of Bangladesh are mar-eted abroad8 mostly in the form of "rushed leather8 finished finished leather8 leather8 leather garments8 and foot3ear. foot3ear. Most /
leather and leather goods go to Germany8 Italy8 7ran"e8 ðerlands8 %pain8 *ussia8 Bra2il8 Fapan8 hina8 %ingapore and Tai3an. The se"tor eported 1/ million s@uare feet of leather and earned 1) million. The "ountryHs share in the 3orld leather mar-et is ,E. The eport of finished produ"ts su"h as shoes8 slippers8 leather a"-ets8 hand glo$es8 bags8 purses8 3allets8 and belts also earn a si2eable amount of foreign "urren"y.
anglades#:s main market 7 export 'olume; gro"t#
!""ording to #port Promotion Bureau leather industry earned 1.1 billion in the last year by eporting of finished goods and foot3ear. foot3ear. #port #port Promotion Promotion bureau data sho3s that foot3ear has earned 44+.54 million8 finished leather earned 4,4.5 and lastly lastly leather leather goods goods earned earned 16/. =o3e$er =o3e$er88 about about ) E of eport of leather leather and leather leather goods "onsign "onsign to #uropean #uropean 'nion "ountrie "ountriess and rest 4 E to Fapan8 '%!8 '%!8 India and !ustralia. !ustralia. &e3 ealand8 !ustria8 !ustria8 Bulgaria8 Bahrain8 osta *i"a8 Indonesia8 Ireland8 9ebanon8 %ri 9an-a8 9ithuania8 Moro""o8 Mauritius8 Tur-ey and Jietnam are the ne3 Mar-e Mar-ets ts for epor eport. t. 9eath 9eather er pro"es pro"essin sing g and leath leather er manuf manufa" a"tur turin ing g in Bangladesh Bangladesh is almost entirely eportCoriented. eportCoriented. %ome 65C6E of the leather produ"ed is for eport in one form others.
,eat#er Industry export in million < 9eather
, 1 ,,).1
,11 , 6 / . +
, 1 , ++.1)
, 1+ +66./+
, 14 4,4.5
9eather Produ"t 7oot3ear
, 6 . ) ,4.6
55.4, , 6 / .
66.+) ++.5,
1)1.), 416.+,
16/.+) 44+.5+
Total
456.,5
)51.5
/).4
6.)/
1)4.64
8rap#9 ,eat#er Industry export in million < 500 500 (00 (00 20'0
300 300
20''
200 200
20'2
'00 '00
20'3
0
20'( Leather Leather eathe r %r!duct %r!duct F!!tear
Ad'antage o* relocations tannery industries9
=a2aribagh is the most polluted areas in the 3orld. 7oreigner buyers noti"ed these damages damages of en$ironm en$ironment. ent. %in"e many years buy buyer er 3ere urging urging for a permanen permanentt solutions. But they 3arned that they are going to boy"ott any -ind of leather items from Bangladesh. Many eperts dealing 3ith 3orld eport business belie$e8 on"e tanneries are relo"ated from =a2aribagh =a2aribagh to %a$ar8 this this means it is $ery urgent to shift tannerie tanneriess in a safe en$ironm en$ironment ent.. !fter !fter "omplet "ompletion ion of this this ne3 safetyC" safetyC"ompl omplian iantt industrial area8 area8 Bangladeshi Bangladeshi leather 3ill be able to attra"t attra"t many buyers li-e Puma8 Puma8 =ugo Boss8 Pierre ardin8 >almart >almart and many more. An "ompletion "ompletion of the relo"ation of the tannery industry to the %a$ar Tannery omple8 the plan has to rede$elop this =a2aribagh =a2aribagh area absolutely for residential purpose. !t that time8 Buriganga ri$er 3ill get her o3n original $ie3 from its present pi"ture of most polluted ri$er in the 3orld. In addition8 Buriganga "an ser$e as an alternati$e ri$er transport route for Dha-a "ity 3hi"h "an play a maor role in redu"ing traffi" am more.
$#at is t#e *uture o* tannery industry ? 6
Bangladesh still ha$e $ery mu"h a sour"e of ra3 materials. Tannery transforms ra3hides into leather for manufa"turing goods li-e shoe8 bag8 suit"ase8 belt8 3allet8 a"-et et".8 3hi"h are $ery $er y demandable produ"t pr odu"t for foreigners. f oreigners. But at present the main issue of relo"ating of this leather industry "an "ause of se$ere damage to this se"tor. !t BA9AG&! fair our foreign buyers urged not to buy any leather produ"ts from Bangladesh Bangladesh 3hi"h is $ery mu"h embarrassing to us. In this situation8 situation8 go$ernment and all "on"erned se"tors should "ome for3ard to re"o$er our history of leather industry.
Expanding Economy9 ity is the "entre of the entire leather industry of Bangladesh. Bangladesh. &early &early 146 tanneries of the , , produ"ers produ"ers of leather and leather produ"ts are lo"ated the industrial areas in
1
Bangladesh are situated in the midst of densely populated regions. There are many ha2ardous and potentially dangerous polluting industries situated in the "ities of Bangladesh. In Dha-a at Tegaon area8 food pro"essing industries are situated along 3ith "hemi"al and hea$y metal pro"essing industries. In Tongi a pharma"euti"al industry is situated near a pesti"ide produ"ing industry. Tannery industries of =a2aribagh also situated in a hea$ily populated residential area. These eamples are repeated in the "ities of hittagong8 hulna and other smaller "ities of Bangladesh. Industriali2ation has been rapid in Bangladesh during the last de"ade8 parti"ularly in the se se"t "tor orss of leat leather her88 phar pharma" ma"euti euti"als "als and indu industri strial al "h "hemi emi"al "als. s. =o3e$er 8 these industri indu stries es are dis"har dis"harging ging and dum dumping ping their 3astes and aflluent 3ithout treatment into int o nea nearby rby 3a 3ate terr bod bodies ies.. Tanni nning ngCCone o f the olde dest st ind indust ustri ries es in the "o "ount untry ry "ontributes to agreat a great etent. Most tanneries are in Dha-a8 Dha-a8 beside the *i$er Buriganga into 3hi"h they flush their 3aste 3ater. %tudies ha$e found high le$els of of pollution pollution at se$e se $era rall points in the ri$er. Ma Ma"ro "rophy phytes tes in the ri$er ri$er absor absorb b $arious amounts of nutrients and pollutants8 but the ma"rophytes are then eaten eaten by by li$esto"- or humans. Ather studies ha$e measured measured hea$y metal spe"ies in soils and plants in the tannery area ar eass th that at ha$e ha$e been been af affe fe"t "ted ed by tannery 3a 3ast ste. e. In grasses grasses88 r a" a""u "umu mula late tess to "on"entr "on" entratio ations ns e" e"ee eedin ding g th thee li limi mits ts set by health aut author horiti ities8 es8 and the yields and performan"e of ri"e and an d 3heat are redu"ed.
There are at present ,14 tanneries in Bangladesh: , of them in the "i "ity ty of Dha-a and 14 others s"attered all o$er the "ountry. o$ering an area of,5 ha ha88 =a2aribagh in the heart of Dha Dha-ain -ain the =a2aribagh =a2aribagh area. 7ifty three of these 146 operate all year round (#namul =a@ue et al. 166/. Tanneries in =a2aribagh 3ere started in 16) by Punab Pun abii tr trade aders rs fro rom m 3hat 3as then PaPa-ista istan. n. The indu industri stries es gre3 and8 and8 after the independen"ee of Banglade independen" Bangladesh sh in 16/1 16/188 be"ame a H"ash "o3H to earn foreign "urren"ie "urren"ies. s. In terms of foreign e"hange earnings8 hides and leather are among the fi$e leading "ommodities in Bangladesh (hatun and = u@ 1664K 1664K #namul =a@ue et al. 166/. 166/.
It
has been estimated that about 1+ 5 pie"es of hides and s-ins from all o$er the "ountry are are brought to =a2a =a2ari riba bagh gh e$ e$er ery y yea earr for pro"essing. The pea- time of "olle"tion is during the Muslim festi$al of animal sa"rifi"e sa"rifi"e88 the #idCulC!dha. These indu in dust stri ries es in infl flue uen" n"ee lo lo"a "all an and d fo fore reig ign n e"h "haange and also the en en$i $iro ronm nmen entt of Bangladesh. 11
E**ect on Economy9 Thee le Th leath ather er in indus dustry try se se"t "tor or is the the fo four urth th la larg rges estt for forei eign gn e" e"han hange ge ea earne rnerr of the "ountry88 "ont "ountry "ontribu ributin ting g ab abou outt )E of to tota tall eport earnings. #p #port ort earnings earnings from the leather industries se"tor in in 1665C 1665C 6) 3as ,+/./6 ,+/./6 million million88 of 3hi"h ,11./ million 3as from le leat athe herr eports eports88 and ,). ,).6 6 mil illi lion on fro rom m ep por ortt of finished leather produ"ts. The leather se"tor se"tor pro$ides pro$ides about 1 obs in Dha-a alone. It has been reported repo rted in a sur$ey that manufa"turing industries in and around Dha-a "ity pro$ide about ,/ obs8 obs8 3hi"h is around ,5E of the total employees in the "ity.
Economic 8ro"t# by Exporting ,eat#er9
1,
This is in"reasing day by day. %o %o this is a great opportunity for our business man and also for our employment and total e"onomy. But our "urrent politi"al situation is not good and for that 3e are loosing our share day by day also. Aur share is going no3 to hina8 India8 Jietnam8 ombodia and other "ountries from south east !sia. This is not good at all for our e"onomi" gro3th.
,eat#er /oot"ear in anglades#9
1+
>e ha$e ha$e dis"ussed about good things no3 the bad things. This tannery industry has a lot of bad things. Pollution is one of the most horrible thing in this tannery business. Mostly it is affe"ting our 3ater and air. >ater and air are the most abundant elements in the en$ironment so our total atmosphere is affe"ted. 7or this people ha$ing diseases in th these ese ar area. ea. Tanne nnery ry pro produ" du"es es ma many ny "he "hemi mi"al "alss and th those ose ar aree poi poison sonous ous for "ulti$ation so day by day farmers are loosing their in"ome and their profession is in no3 danger. In =a2aribag8 people "anLt li$e. People donLt 3ant to li$e in that area be"ause of pollution of 3ater and air. ! ne3 person "anLt ta-e any breath beside in tannery for horrible bad smell. People are shifting their residen"e from that pla"e but only 3ho "an afford.
$ater $a ter pollution by tannery9 !s 3e all -no3 3ater is the essential elements to sur$i$e our life. #$ery li$ing organism needs 3ater in order to fun"tion properly. !nd8 you donHt need any other 14
li@uid to sur$i$e. !fter all8 itHs the li@uid that ma-es up /E of our body massCpure 3ater. 0our body relies on 3ater to digest food and to epel 3aste. But this important element "ontinuously "ontinuously pollute by so many 3ays. Ane of the biggest pollution pollution of 3ater is tanneryHs pollution.
olours o* $ater9 anglades#=s ,eat#er Tanneries9 Tanneries9 7uelled by a gro3ing international appetite for leather8 the industry represents a si2eable "hun- of BangladeshLs yearly eport re$enues ,4 million in ,/C. There are about , leather tanneries in the =a2aribagh =a2aribagh in Dha-a distri"t8 the "apital. %ome use modest te"hnology and ma"hinery8 but most operate as they did de"ades ago and release untreated toi" "hemi"al 3aste near residential areas. Thee firs Th firstt thin thing g noti noti"e "eab able le ther theree 3hen 3hen som someone eone 3al3al-ss thro throug ugh h the the stre street etss of =a2aribagh is the horrible and seemingly allCper$asi$e sten"h of tanning "hemi"als. !""ording to the Department of #n$ironment8 the tanneries dis"harge ,,8 "ubi" meters of meters of untreated li@uid li@uid toi" 3aste daily into the ri$ers8 gutters and "anals that run alongside in the roads of =a2aribagh. Toins are also lea"hing into ground3ater. The "hemi"als end up forming "olored ponds8 la-es and ri$ers of toi" 3aste in residential areas and are "ausing mu"h harm to the ,8 people 3ho people 3ho 3or- and li$e in the tanning distri"t. distri"t. Most are suffering suffering from "hroni" respiratory respiratory problems8 problems8 s-in diseases and e$en destru"tion of the nasal septum. They ha$e to pay their maimum earnings for their diseases.
15
The P= of 3ater in Bar "hart format
Pi"ture "olle"ted from =a2aribagh tannery
&o3 you see8 this is the most bla"- 3ater I ha$e e$er seen. 0ou "anLt imagine ho3 mu"h affe"ted this 3ater by poisonus "hemi"als. >e "anLt understand ho3 people li$e in this pla"e.
1)
2)I8AN8A )i'er > Pollution 7 Poison9
Thee mo Th most st poll polluti ution on "reati "reating ng indus industr trie iess of Bangl Banglad adesh esh are tanni tanning ng indus industr tries ies "on"entrated mainly in =a2aribagh area in the southC3estern part of Dha-a. Most tanneries of =a2aribagh flush their 3aste 3ater dire"tly into Buriganga *i$er.
!bout 15 tannery units are lo"ated at =a2aribagh of Dha-a in only 5 a"res of land popularly -no3n as tannery estate. 7ifty three of these 146 operate all year round. !part from the tanneries8 there are t3o paint fa"tories plus / manually operated glue fa"tories and one me"hani2ed glue fa"tory. Tannery transforms ra3 hides and s-ins into leather for manufa"turing manufa"turing arti"les li-e shoeCupper8 shoeCupper8 bag8 suit"ase8 suit"ase8 belt8 3allet and a"-et. In the past8 leather pro"essing 3as done manually using "ertain indigenous "hemi"als.
!nnually 1C15 million s@. feet ra3 hides and s-ins are produ"ed in Bangladesh and about 5E of 3hi"h is eported in "rust and finished form. %ome note3orthy tanneries of Bangladesh are arim 9eather8 Dha-a 9eather8 %amata Tannery8 !pe Tannery8 Ta nnery8 and Bay Tannery and 9e"o limited. limited .
!mong $arious organi" and inorgani" 3astes8 dis"harged from tanning industries8 hea$y metals are the most "on"erning fa"tor. !nd among the ha2ardous hea$y metals8 "hromium is the most note3orthy. note3orthy. hromium is being dis"harged dis"harged in the en$ironment under under $arious $arious "hemi"al "hemi"ally ly88 phys physi"al i"ally ly88 and morphol morphologi" ogi"ally ally differ different ent forms. forms. Mos Mostt surfa"e 3ater "ontains $ery lo3 le$el of "hromium8 e"ept the 3aste3ater "oming from industries. Industries dealing 3ith paints8 pigments8 dyes8 tetile8 leather8 et". are an important sour"e of dis"harge of "hromium in to the en$ironment. hromium "an a"t dire"tly at the site of "onta"t or be absorbed into8 or through8 human tissue. !llergi" "onta"t dermatitis is the most prominent rea"tion from the intera"tion of "hromium 3ith s-in. Dermatitis is a sensiti2ation to "hromates "reating an e"2emaC li-e "ondition.
1/
>ater of Buriganga *i$er
Polluting Tanneries in anglades# /ace /ines 9 7or probably the first time8 BangladeshLs go$ernment has le$eled pollutionCrelated fines against t3o leather tanneries in =a2aribagh8 a Dha-a neighborhood so polluted 3ith 3aste from its roughly 15 tanneries that residents and 3or-ers are plagued by serious health problems. This announ"ement "ame four months after =uman *ights >at"h released a report re$ealing the etent of 3or-ersL and residentsL bro-enCdo3n health8 ranging from painful s-in diseases to respiratory illnesses. ! senior offi"ial in BangladeshLs #n$ironment Department told =uman *ights >at"h8 ;There are no monitoring and no enfor"ement in =a2aribagh.< The t3o tanneries 3ere fined for not ha$ing effluent treatment plants8 3hi"h 3ould treat their "hemi"alCla"ed 3aste3ater.
https:NN333.youtube."omN3at"h?$O-T+fMmo".. &outube &outube link https:NN333.youtube."omN3at"h?$O-T+fMmo" 1
This $ideo has sho3n by =uman *ights >at"h and they indi"ate that =a2aribag is one of the most pollutant urban en$ironment in the 3orld. 15 tanneries al3ays produ"e strong strong pun pungen gentt 3ate 3aterr "hemi "hemi"al "alss and e$ery e$eryday day estim estimat ated ed ,1 ,1 "ubi" "ubi" meter meterss of untreated 3aste 3ater loaded 3ith dangerous "hemi"als flo3 near by ri$er.
The en$ironment of this area is unbearable. The foul smelling air from the tanneries "auses nausea and $omiting. &on of the tanneries ha$e 3aste treatment plants e$en though they mandated by Bangladeshi la3. Fob fa"ilities are not standard at all8 3or-ers ha$e no training e$en they donLt ha$e personal prote"ti$e e@uipment. They 3or- 3ithout mas-s8 hand glo$es8 shoes et". ThatLs 3hy they are suffering from s-in diseases e$ery day in year be"ause of polluted 3ater.
!fter 3ater pollution air pollution is the most dangerous pollution "aused by tannery industry. &ot only in tannery area but also it affe"ts besides other area in tannery industry. This is li-e eplosion. Day by day it in"reasing temperature by produ"ing "arbon.
16
Air pollution by tannery9
This "hart is sho3ing 3hat the fa"tors are for the "ause of air pollution. I am surprised by the per"ent (5,E that is "ontributed from the industry. Industry "ontributes (eample from smo-esta"-s a large portion of 3hat 3e breath e$eryday.
!ir !ir pollut pollution ion is one of a $ariet $ariety y of manm manmade ade en$iro en$ironm nment ental al disas disaste ters rs that that are are "urren "urrently tly ta-ing ta-ing pla"e pla"e all o$er o$er the 3orl 3orld. d. !ir pollu polluti tion on may may be defin defined ed as an atmospheri" atmospheri" "ondition in 3hi"h $arious substan"es are present at "on"entrations high enough abo$e their normal ambient le$els to produ"e a measurable effe"t on people8 animals8 $egetation8 or materials. #posure to air pollution is the main en$ironmental threat to human health in many to3ns and "ities. Parti"ulate emission is mainly responsible for in"reased death rate and respiratory problems for the urban population. !ir pollution has be"ome a matter of great "on"ern for us in re"ent years. Those Those 3ho are li$ing in "ities in !sian "ountries in"luding Dha-a ha$e already reali2ed ho3 seriously air pollution has been poisoning life and degrading the en$ironment. en$ironment. People li$ing in maor to3ns of Bangladesh eperien"e the problems of air pollution in $aried $aried degre degrees. es. Th Thee air air @uali @uality ty of DhaDha-aa "ity "ity sho sho3s 3s that that the the "on"e "on"ent ntrat ration ion of suspended parti"les in the ambient air is many times higher than normal. This air8 3hi" 3hi"h h the the "ity "ity d3el d3elle lers rs and and road road user userss regu regula larl rly y brea breath the8 e8 "ont "ontai ains ns lead lead in
,
"on"entrations reportedly almost ten times higher than the go$ernment safety standard set by the Department of #n$ironment (DA#.
Pi"ture "olle"ted from =a2aribagh tannery
urrent situation of =a2aribag for air pollution: The effluents released released from the tanning industries at =a2aribagh are huge in @uantity. @uantity. It is unimaginable ho3 mu"h damage the effluents ha$e "aused to the en$ironment o$er the years. The inhabitants of the surrounding areas (appro. ,. million are seriously affe"ted by openly dis"harged 3aste 3ater and huge smo-e 3ith "arbon from from the the tann tanner erie iess of =a2a =a2ari riba bagh gh.. >or-er r-erss in many many leat leathe herr tann tanner erie iess in the the =a2ariba =a2aribagh gh neighbor neighborhood hood of Dha-a8 Dha-a8 the Banglad Bangladesh esh "apital8 "apital8 in"ludin in"luding g "hildren "hildren as young as 118 be"ome ill be"ause of eposure to ha2ardous "hemi"als and smo-e of "arbon8 =uman *ights >at"h said in a report released "urrently. The tanneries8 3hi"h eport hundreds of millions of dollars in leather for luury goods throughout the 3orld8 spe3 pollutants into surrounding "ommunities. 0ou "anLt go there be"ause of bad smell but the 3or-ers are doing their ob 3ithout mas-s. This is not a""eptable but 3e donLt obey our la3.
,1
The 11Cpage report8 ;Toi" ;Toi" Tanneries: The =ealth *eper"ussions of BangladeshLs =a2aribagh =a2aribag h 9eather 8< do"umen do"uments ts an o""upati o""upational onal health and safety safety "risis "risis among among tannery 3or-ers8 both men and 3omen8 in"luding in"luding s-in diseases8 air polluted diseases and respi respirat ratory ory illne illnesse ssess "aused "aused by epos eposur uree to tannin tanning g "hemi "hemi"al "als8 s8 and limb limb amputati amputations ons "aused "aused by a""ident a""identss in dangerou dangerouss tannery tannery ma"hine ma"hinery ry.. *esident *esidentss of =a2aribagh slums "omplain of illnesses su"h as fe$ers8 s-in diseases8 respiratory problems8 and diarrhea "aused "ause d by the etreme tannery pollution of o f air8 3ater8 and soil. The go$ernment has not prote"ted the right to health of the 3or-ers and residents8 has "onsistently failed to enfor"e labour or en$ironmental la3s in =a2aribagh8 and has ignored =igh ourt orders to "lean up these tanneries.
Diseases from air pollution: =uman *ights >at"h has analy2ed data from =a2aribag re"ent air @uality. This is horrible8 the more you learn about the air you breath8 the more you 3ant to prote"t tour health and ta-e steps to ma-e our air "leaner and healthier.
Maimum people 3ho li$e in this area are suffering suffering from asthma a breathing disorder disorder "aused by air pollution. hroni" bron"hitis8 heart problems and pan"reati" problems are also "aused on a large le$el by air pollution in this area. In =a2aribag =a2aribag "hildren are suffering from brains "onditions li-e autism be"ause they are gro3ing up in lo"ality full full of toi" toi" air air pollu polluti tion. on. 9u 9ung ng "an"e "an"err is the mo most st danger dangerous ous diseas diseasee from from air pollution. !nd s-in allergy is the $ery "ommon disease diseas e be"ause of air pollution. pollu tion.
>ays to a$oid air pollution: !s 3e -no3 there are different "omponents 3hi"h are responsible for polluting the air and are harmful for all li$ing organisms su"h as human8 plants and animals. But at the same time 3here some "omponents are present to polluting the air and there is many 3ay to a$oid or pre$ent air from pollution. %ome important steps 3hi"h are used 3orld 3ide to pre$ent air from pollution are as follo3s:
1. !s 3e -no3 that the smo-e of the $ehi"les plays an important role in spreading the air pollution and that is $ery harmful for human life. Jehi"les produ"es "arbon ,,
dioide and 3e ha$e to altered these $ehi"les into su"h alternati$es 3hi"h doesnLt produ"e "arbon dioide d ioide and that $ehi"les $ehi "les are "alled green $ehi"les. $e hi"les.
,. 7rom the ne3 resear"hes it is "onfirmed that turn off the unused light also redu"e air pollution. >hen 3e donLt turn off the un3anted lights8 the ele"tri"ity plants "ontinuously produ"e ele"tri"ity 3ith the help of different types of nu"lear rea"tions of fossil fuel that pollute the air8 so 3e should turn off the un3anted lights to redu"e air pollution.
+. >e should not dis"ard the un3anted goods 3ith our on hands or 3ith our o3n te"hni@ues su"h as burning. >e should "all the spe"ial department to dispose them.
4. >e should a$oid de$eloping different types of manufa"turing industries su"h as tanneries in the "ity to pre$ent on the "ontamination of air 3ith poisonous gases.
5. >e should use the pro"ess of re"y"ling be"ause if used ne3 material to produ"e ne3 produ"ts it 3ould re@uire a lot of energy8 that 3ould be a"hie$ed 3ith help of burning of "hemi"als 3hi"h pollute the air.
). >e should gro3 different types of plants to a$oid the air pollution "reated by the "arbon dioide and many gases.
/. >e should also a$oid smo-ing of "igarettes of different -ind of su"h produ"ts to a$oid air pollution.
. >e should use different types of "atalyti" "on$erters to redu"e the emission of smo-e during burning the materials su"h as 3oods.
6. 3e should follo3 the rules and regulations of your spe"ifi" area also to redu"e air pollution.
1. >e should use the e"o friendly produ"ts to a$oid air pollution and also some other -ind of pollution.
,+
Planning *or *uture tannery industry9 !bout half a million residents in Dha-a are at ris- of serious illness due to "hemi"al pollution from tanneries near their homes8 a""ording to a report released last year by the Bangladesh %o"iety for #n$ironment and =uman De$elopment (%#=D and the most affe"ted area is =a2aribag8 a "ommunity in the south east "orner of Dha-a8 3here ,4 tanneries are lo"ated on ,5 he"tares of land8 the report notes. The report of %#=D says that: 1. C1, 3or-ers of tanneries suffer from many 3ater and air polluted diseases. ,. This report says that 5E of the tanneries 3or-ers suffer from Gastrointestinal disease (,4E of the "ountry as a 3hole8 +1E from Dermatologi"al Disease (6E of the "ountry as a 3hole8 1,E from =ypertension (.6E of the "ountry as a 3hole8 and 16E from aundi"e (./E of the "ountry as a 3hole. +. Dermatologi"al and other diseases "ould be related to the pollution and that 6E of them die before the age of 5. !bout a @uarter of these 3or-ers are under 11 years of age.
urrent situation of tannery industries: 1. Most of the tanneries are +C+5 years old and use mineral tanning pro"ess. ,. Dis"harge about ) "ubi" meters of li@uid effluent and ten tons of solid e$eryday8 a""ording to figures from the Bangladesh go$ernment and the 7ood and !gri"ulture Argani2ation. +. Tannery industry thro3 "hromium as 3aste 3hi"h is a potential harmful "hemi"al be"ause of "ar"inogeni" "ar"in ogeni" potential. 4. !"id effluents8 it adds8 "an "ause se$ere respiratory problem. 5. Gaseous emission from the tanneries "ontain sulphur dioide that is "on$erted into sulphuri" a"id on "onta"t 3ith moisture and "an damage lung.
,4
). The tanneries emit bad odour and pollute the air beyond tolerable limits.
Ta-ing a"tions: . /ormal go'ernment action9 Mu"h legislati$e a"tion has been ta-en in fa$our of tanneri tanneries es industri industries es during during the past de"ades by our go$ernm go$ernment. ent. Go$ernmen Go$ernmentt impose some rules8 regulation8 and obligations on this business to pre$ent and sol$e those problems "reating by tannery industry. %ome of them are: a Th They ey sho should uld obey obey the the en$iro en$ironme nment nt "onser "onser$a $atio tion n a"t a"t 166 1665 5 and and en$ir en$ironm onmen entt "onser$ation rules 166/. b They ha$e to use 3ater refine system in the fa"tories. " They must "lean their 3or- pla"e and ha$e to pro$ide healthy uniform for their employees.
(. Political action9 In tannery industry politi"al a"tion has a great impa"t. Be"ause most of the lo"al politi"ians are ba"-ing this tannery industry. %o from the top of the politi"s ha$e to "reate "re ate pressure lo"ally. lo"all y.
?. 1ocial action9 %o"ial a"ti$ist group "ome for3ard to ma-e a3areness8 they "an do "ampaign as 3ell. They ha$e to raise their $oi"e 3ith lo"al people against this situation.
+. Media action action99 &o3 in our "ountry media has strong $oi"e. %o they ha$e to tele"ast time to time about the problem of tannery industry. !ll these la3s8 *egulation8 *egulation8 "ampaign et" are implemented implemented to prote"t the en$ironment en$ironment from pollution "aused by tannery industry. But all these legal implements are "ome into $ain so 3e need to thin- some other 3ay.
,5
#"onomi"al thoughts: ItLs no se"ret that Bangladesh is one of the 3orldLs poorest "ountries and that its labourers earn some of the lo3est 3ages. It has also a great threat and that is 3or-ersL health. >e ha$e also dis"ussed lots of about the negati$ity of tannery industry. But no3 3e ha$e to thin- about the e"onomi"al situation of tannery industry. It is earning lots of money. #stimated more than ) million in eports ea"h year produ"ing leather of "lothes8 shoes8 handbags8 belts8 a"-ets and luggage. This is around ,E of our total e"onomy. >e ha$e a huge mar-et in '%!8 '8 anada8 !ustralia8 Germany8 %pain8 7ran"e and Fapan. >orldLs most popular brands su"h as 9ouis Juitton8 Gu""i8 Prada8 artier8 Burberry8 oa"h are manufa"turing leather produ"ts in Bangladesh be"ause of our lo3 produ"tion pr odu"tion "ost than any an y other "ountry.
This business is gi$ing us money and employment. More than 5 people got their ob in this se"tor. %o this is ne"essary ne"essar y to build up strong root for tannery industry. in dustry. But of "ourse 3e ha$e to ma-e a good 3ay 3hi"h 3ill not harm our en$ironment.
!"tion plan by go$ernment: There is an a"tion plan fo"used and oriented to3ards leather goods and leather foot 3are 3hi"h ha$e greater potentially and a"hie$e a $ery high gro3th rate by the go$ernment of Bangladesh. To fulfil this plan The #uropean 'nion and P7 are 3or-ing together for the Bangladesh go$ernment.
The proe"t is finan"ed by #uropean 'nion
Proe"t benefi"iary: Ministry of Industry of Bangladesh
The proe"t is implemented by (P7 Pannell err 7orster
Tanneries 3ill be relo"ated from =a2aribag to a designated modern purposeCbuilt site sooner soo ner or letter letter.. !nd there there 3ill 3ill be a$aila a$ailabl blee many many fa"il fa"iliti ities es su"h su"h as relate related d to
,)
en$ironment en$ironment 3aste management8 management8 green po3erNsolar heating arrangement8 pro"ess upC grading matter "an be materiali2ed et".
%pe"ifi" obe"ti$es: •
• • • • • •
To help members attain "ompetiti$eness "ompetiti$eness for easy a""ess to eport mar-et and partnering 3ith foreign fore ign in$estors. #nsure in$ol$ement of the asso"iation in en$ironmental audit. 9obbying for a business friendly en$ironment and a $irtual leather poli"y. To epand the membership of the asso"iation. Training on en$ironmental and 3aste management issues. &et3or- lin-ages building build ing e$ents 3ith #' based asso"iation8 asso "iation8 institute. !ll -ind of modern and e"o friendly ma"hineries 3ill be a$ailable.
The leat The leathe herr prod produ" u"ts ts se"t se"tor or rout routin inel ely y re"e re"ei$ i$ed ed te"h te"hni ni"a "all assi assist stan an"e "e on s-il s-illl de$elopment8 mar-et lin-ages8 pro"ess up grading8 $alue "hain study and produ"tion manual and others epe"ted things.
%a$ar Tannery Tannery Industry under "onstru"tion:
The Proposed #TP (entral #ffluent Treatment Plant at the tannery Industry #state8 %a$ar8 Dha-a.
onsidering onsidering the en$ironmental en$ironmental ha2ards in =a2aribagh8 =a2aribagh8 this (#PT (#PT proe"t 3as ta-en by the go$ernment in ,+. The land is 166 a"res and totally gi$en by the
,/
go$ernment. !round 5 tanneries "an be shift in this estate. The o3ners of some 145 leather tanneries ha$e started setting up infrastru"ture in the %a$ar8 raising the hope of "ommen"ing "ommen"ing the operations operations of the longC"herished tannery estate 3ithin the stipulated stipulated time frame of Mar"h8 ,15. Af the 15 units8 around 5 industrial units ha$e made signifi"ant progress in setting up ne3 infrastru"ture in the ne3 tannery 2one.
#' and !meri"an !meri"an buyers ha$e been de"lining to pur"hase Bangladeshi Bangladeshi leather goods as the manuf manufa"t a"turi uring ng fa"to fa"torie riess at the the eisti eisting ng site site fail fail to ensur ensuree en$ir en$ironm onment ental al "omplian"es. %o go$ernment too- the a"tion against this situation and ma-ing this e"oCfriendly #TP at %a$ar. The main aim of shifting the tannery industries from =a2aribagh to %a$ar is to minimi2e the en$ironmental pollution in the "ity.
Conclusion ,
!fter studying and analy2ing the tannery industry of Bangladesh 3e "an say this is not bad for us but 3e donLt 3ant to say this is good for us until the solution of en$ironmental issues. This report pro$ides an analysis and e$aluation of the "urrent and prospe"ti$e profit from tannery industries and also the negati$e impa"t from tanneries industries. ># loo-ed at the ins and outs of the operation of tannery industry in Bangladesh.
Aur study fo"used on the reason behind good and bad. >e ha$e "ompared these t3o things related on this report. >e are doing this business from 164 and this business gi$es us huge foreign "urren"y and employment but this industry also pollute our en$ironment horribly. 7or this pollution 3e "anLt shut do3n this business be"ause of around 5 people ha$e got ob in this se"tor.
Thin-ing about that our go$ernment didnLt shut do3n this business. They reali2e the e"onomi"al e"onomi"al part of this business. %o they ha$e ta-en a proe"t in %a$ar "alled entral #ffluent Treatment Plant (#TP. This is totally e"oCfriendly and 3ill be a$ailable modern ma"hineries. This is under "onstru"tion but already 145 "ompanies ha$e shifted their fa"tories.
%o this is a good ne3s for tannery se"torLs. >e hope they "an produ"e 3orld "lass leather produ"ts to maintain en$ironment and do fight 3ith their "ompetitors.
,6
