Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 7 July 2018

Toxic tanneries forced to move pollute new Bangladesh site

By JULHAS ALAM treatment plant, a new
MARTHA MENDOZA problem has started: re-
Associated Press peated breaches in the
SAVAR, Bangladesh (AP) embankment of a pond
— Bangladesh tanneries where solid waste is sup-
prepping leather for shoes, posed to be held. This is
belts, wallets and purses allowing more pollution —
are dumping toxic chemi- mixed with rainwater — to
cals into a river at a new in- flow into the river.
dustrial complex more than "This is worrying. The em-
a year after the govern- bankment has been re-
ment shut them down for paired repeatedly, but
poisoning a different river because of the monsoon,
and using child labor. the breaches developed
"It's killing the river. The color again," said Delowar Hos-
of the water has changed," sain, a plant consultant.
Abdus Shakur, a local resi- Abu Naser Khan, chairman
dent who works as a day of Save the Environment
laborer, told The Associat- Movement, said last week
ed Press last week. "I have that the new site has multi-
been living here for de- ple infrastructural deficien-
cades and the condition cies, causing serious pollu-
of the river has changed tion in the area.
dramatically over the last "It's killing the river, it's poi-
year." soning soil and it's destroy-
Turning cow hides into soft, ing the whole environ-
hair-free leather can be a ment," Khan said. "Danger-
dirty business, and in the ous chemicals are still flow-
Hazaribagh neighborhood ing into the river."
of Dhaka, the former home It's clear, he said, that re-
to more than 150 tanneries, locating the toxic leather
the air a year ago was so tanning factories from in-
noxious with chemicals and tensely polluted Hazarib-
rotting hide trimmings that agh has just moved the
it was repeatedly named environmental disaster to
one of the most polluted another place.
places on earth by envi- "It seems the government
ronmentalists. The adja- does not care for the en-
cent Buriganga River, a In this Thursday, June 28, 2018, photo, a Bangladeshi worker sits on top of tannery waste loaded in vironment. Similar things
source of drinking water for a truck at Tannery Industrial Area in Savar, Bangladesh. are happening here," Khan
180,000 people, was con- Associated Press said. "It's really frustrating
sidered poisoned. that authorities are failing to
In April 2017, under inter- — child labor, occupa- "The primary onus is on Ban- responded said they no understand the serious en-
national pressure, the gov- tional and environmental gladesh's government and longer get any leather from vironmental consequences
ernment shut off power at health dangers — until gov- leather industry to clean tanneries in Bangladesh. from pollution, which could
the Hazaribagh tanneries, ernment authorities finally up Hazaribagh and pre- Some said they never did. be averted."
ordering them to move to get serious about enforcing vent another full-scale en- Macy's, Timberland and Khan said their complaints
a new tannery industrial laws." vironmental catastrophe Clark continue to have "are falling into deaf ears."
complex in Savar. New York-based Transpar- in Savar," said Transparen- products made there. Bangladeshi leather-goods
Now the AP has learned entem, a labor rights non- tem president E Benjamin "Clarks has no direct or in- manufacturers were reluc-
that factories at the new lo- profit group, is calling on Skinner. "Brands that have direct relationship with any tant to comment.
cation are draining chemi- American and European bought from manufactur- tannery in Bangladesh," An official at a leading ex-
cals into the Daleshwari companies that sourced ers affiliated with tanner- the company said in a porting factory said Friday
River and dumping toxic leather in Hazaribagh — or ies in either location have statement. Its Bangladesh that the company shouldn't
waste in open fields. Al- had items made by com- leverage, and thus share manufacturer sources all of suffer for the failure of the
though there are sewage panies that also owned in the responsibility for re- its leather from outside the authorities.
treatment and effluent sys- tanneries there — to help form." country, and the company "We have lodged com-
tems, they are inadequate clean up the mess left be- Undercover investigators continuously audits all of plaints again and again,
to process all of the waste. hind. have not followed a spe- its partners, the statement but still the effluent treat-
"This was a disaster foretold," The companies include cific piece of leather to a said. ment plant is not fully func-
said Richard Pearshouse, Clarks, Coach, Kate particular purse or shoe. At the new Savar indus- tional and the pace of de-
associate director of the Spade, Macy's, Michael Supply chains take a few trial center, an AP reporter velopment inside the tan-
environment program at Kors, Sears, Steven Madden steps, sometimes dozens, found that a central efflu- nery belt is very slow," said
Human Rights Watch. "Ev- and Timberland. It is also to get from the source of ent treatment plant had the official, who spoke on
eryone convinced them- calling on Germany-based a product to an item on a yet to be fully functional, condition of anonymity,
selves that the main issue Deichmann, a shoe and store shelf. contradicting claims from fearing retribution.
was technical — a lack of a sportswear chain, and two Transparentem is also call- authorities that it's been re- "The government has shoul-
central effluent treatment U.S. firms — Harbor Foot- ing on buyers to use their inforced. dered all responsibilities for
plant — and not political. wear Group and Genesco collective leverage to ad- Chinese engineers working preparing all infrastructures
But Bangladesh's tanning — that design and market vocate for better waste on the plant refused to talk. of the new site," he said.
industry will be plagued by shoes in even more brands treatment facilities in Savar. In addition to delayed op- "We have nothing to con-
its fundamental problems to help. All of the companies that erations at the effluent tribute here."q