Waste dumping threatens biodiversity in Mirzapur
The environment and biodiversity in Mirzapur of Tangail are facing a serious threat as household and industrial waste is being dumped indiscriminately beside roads, rivers, canals, water bodies and ditches in the municipality and Gorai industrial area.
The dumping of waste is polluting water bodies, killing fish and plants, damaging croplands and creating foul odours, while local residents say the situation is also contributing to the spread of various diseases.
An investigation on Thursday found that Mirzapur Municipality, established in 2000 and classified as a first-class municipality, still does not have a designated waste dumping site.
Household waste and garbage from offices and other establishments are being dumped beside the Dhaka-Tangail Highway and other roads, as well as in ditches and canals.
The stench from rotting garbage has become so severe that pedestrians have to cover their noses and mouths with handkerchiefs while passing through the affected areas. Residents said the situation has persisted for a long time, leaving them frustrated.
The municipality administrator and officials acknowledged the problem, saying the municipality had not received government land for waste disposal and lacked a proper dumping facility. They said efforts were underway to resolve the problem.
Gautam Chandra, divisional coordinator of the environmental organisation BELA, said the absence of a proper dumping facility in Mirzapur Municipality was contributing to environmental pollution.
He also said most factories in the Gorai industrial area were discharging untreated waste into canals, water bodies and rivers.
“The water has become polluted and fish are dying. At the same time, the environmental balance is being disrupted and biodiversity in the area is under threat,” he said.
He said prompt action would be taken in coordination with the administration to address the issue.
Tarek Aziz, Assistant Commissioner (Land) of Mirzapur and administrator of the municipality, said efforts were being made to ensure that municipal waste was disposed of at a designated site.
He said he had learned that the dumping of industrial waste into rivers, canals and water bodies by most factories in the Gorai industrial area was posing a serious threat to the local environment.
“There is no scope for factory owners to pollute water by dumping industrial waste into canals and water bodies. Legal action will be taken following investigations to prevent industries and other establishments from indiscriminately dumping waste and polluting water and the environment,” he said.
The Gorai area of Mirzapur is predominantly hilly and elevated. Since the 1990s, at least 50 small, medium and large industrial establishments have been set up around the Dhaka-Tangail Highway.
Local residents allege that most of the factories were established in an unplanned manner after government-owned canals and water bodies were filled with the alleged collusion of an influential group.
They further alleged that the group, in collusion with factory owners, collected crores of taka and created opportunities for unplanned industrial development in the area. Families who tried to oppose the activities were allegedly threatened with attacks and lawsuits.
A visit to the area found several industrial establishments, including Bengal NKF Industries in Deohata; Nasir Group of Industries in Kodalia; Mondol Group, Kashem Drycell Industries and Tangail Cotton Mills in Sohagpur; South East Textiles Mills Ltd, Nahid Cotton Mills, Youth Spinning Mills Ltd, Comfit Composite Knit Ltd, Uttara Spinning Mills Ltd, Uttara Cycle Manufacturing Industries and Newtex Group of Industries in Hatubhanga; Meghna Group of Industries, a fish hatchery and Shirin Spinning Mills Ltd in Saidpur; and Khan Garments, RFL Plastic Industries and Square Pharmaceuticals in Rajabari.
Except for a few, most of the more than 50 factories reportedly do not have water treatment or effluent treatment plants (ETPs).
As a result, factory waste is allegedly being dumped into nearby canals, rivers, roadside areas and ditches, posing a serious threat to the environment, at least 40 residents of the Gorai industrial area alleged.
Industrial waste has reportedly clogged six to seven canals, including the Sohagpara-Kodalia-Rahimpur, Sohagpara-Kalimajani, Rajabari-Bogabari, Hatubhanga-Saidpur and Saidpur-Palpara canals, disrupting normal water flow.
Waste is also being discharged into the Bangshi River, turning the water dark and causing fish to die.
Bablu Sikder, lecturer Nurul Islam Nuru, businessman Shamim Hossain and around 20 other affected residents said the foul smell from the rotting waste had made living in the area increasingly difficult.
They alleged that although the government has instructed every industrial establishment to operate an effluent treatment plant, most factories in the Gorai industrial area are ignoring the directive and discharging untreated waste into rivers, canals and water bodies.
The pollution is reportedly affecting biodiversity, with various species of fish, including boal, shol, katla, mrigel, shing, tengra, magur, tilapia, sarputi, pabda and chital, dying in polluted water.
Officials of three major industrial establishments in the Gorai industrial area who spoke on condition of anonymity, said their factories had operational water treatment plants.
They acknowledged that most industrial establishments had not installed waste treatment facilities and said the Department of Environment and relevant authorities could investigate the matter and take action against those responsible.
