OTHER BANGLADESH NEWSPAPER NEWS
Cleaner production best approach to waste management
Staff Correspondent
xperts at a workshop yesterday said cleaner production in industries and factories is the best approach to managing hazardous waste in the country.
To avoid large-scale dumping, the methods of recycling, reuse and reproduction of waste material should be practised, they suggested.
Toxic waste dumping has posed a serious threat to the country which needs an urgent attention. Concentration of waste generating industries in a few areas is a major problem, they added.
Department of Environment (DoE) and Waste Concern supported by Asian Development Bank (ADB) organised the workshop titled 'Managing hazardous waste' under Regional Technical Assistance (Reta) project at a city centre.
Md Shahjahan, director (technical) of DoE, said because of dense population, they are more at risk of exposure to hazardous waste, both from origin to disposal.
Prof ATM Nurul Amin of Environ-mental Science and Management department at NSU said environmental education, moral persuasion and behavioural change by industry owners are necessary to fight this problem.
“Right now, there is nothing more important than environment. We cannot wait any more for economic emancipation. We have to look for options that best use the existing limited resources of the country,” he added.
The experts at the workshop identified textile and dyeing industries, tanneries, hospitals and diagnostics, oil refinery, pesticide factory, fertiliser producing industry and pulp and paper mills as the worst type of hazardous waste generators in the country.
These industries mainly centred around Dhaka and Chittagong division and the largest cluster is located in Gazipur are seriously degrading the environment in these regions, they added.
Dyeing, textile and tannery industries are posing the most serious threat to Dhaka, killing the rivers surrounding the city.
Textile industry has an immense growth of 90 percent, while hospitals and diagnostic centres are growing at the rate of 81 percent, they informed.
The experts suggested framing a proper policy, controlling open dumping, sufficient resource, manpower and administrative back-up for law enforcement agencies.
Meriaty Subroto of ADB, Iftekhar Enayetullah, director of Waste Concern and Dr David Green, Hong Kong-based independent environmental consultant for Reta, were also present.
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