THE unabated discharge of untreated industrial effluents into rivers and water bodies in blatant violation of laws and repeated court directives reflects a grave criminal negligence on part of industries and the authorities. A photograph that New Age published on May 7 shows untreated industrial waste discharged directly into the River Buriganga on the outskirts of Dhaka. Such scenes, however, are far from isolated. Reports and studies on the dumping of industrial waste untreated into rivers regularly surface, warning of catastrophic consequences for ecology, public health and the environment. Yet, little effective action has followed. Industrial pollution continues almost unchecked in industrial zones, slowly killing rivers, canals and wetlands in and around the capital. An environment department report shows the alarming scale of the crisis. At least 1,659 industrial units in and around Dhaka and elsewhere in the division have been identified as discharging untreated effluent into rivers, canals and other water bodies. Many factories either lack effluent treatment plants altogether or deliberately keep them inactive to save costs. The report also says that even factories equipped with treatment facilities frequently bypass them to reduce expenses.
Another study, conducted by the department and the River and Delta Research Centre in 2024, identified 1,024 pollution points around the Buriganga, the Turag, the Sitalakkhya and the Balu, a steep increase from 608 identified in 2020. The findings underscore how rapidly pollution intensifies while enforcement remains weak and inconsistent. What is ironic is that the authorities had relocated highly polluting industries such as tanneries from Hazaribagh to Savar to save the Buriganga. Yet, the relocation appears to have merely transferred pollution from one river system to another. Despite spending more than Tk 1,078 crore on the tannery relocation project and about Tk 1,100 crore on the Buriganga revival initiative since 2010, pollution levels remain alarmingly high. Environmentalists point out that piecemeal projects marred by corruption and poor monitoring have yielded virtually no tangible improvement. Industrial pollution is compounded by the unchecked dumping of municipal waste and sewage into rivers and canals. Dhaka and other city authorities still cannot ensure safe collection and the disposal of even half the municipal waste generated daily. The environment department study identified hundreds of sewerage outlets, waste dumping stations and canals, causing the pollution.
The authorities must, therefore, move beyond rhetoric and ritual drives. Factories found discharging untreated waste should face exemplary punishment. Public agencies, identified as major polluters, must equally be held accountable. The government’s plan to restore rivers and canals will remain meaningless unless environmental laws are strictly enforced, waste management systems modernised and all sewerage connections to rivers severed without delay.
