In 2017, the government of Bangladesh relocated the country’s tannery industry from Hazaribagh to a new industrial estate in Hemayetpur, Savar. The aim was clear. End decades of chemical dumping into the Buriganga River, protect residents from toxic exposure, and ensure safer workplaces for thousands of tannery workers. Billions were spent on the move, and a Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) was built in Savar to handle waste.
Yet, eight years later, Hazaribagh still suffers. Still, dozens of illegal tanneries continue to operate in the old neighbourhood. Drains run black with effluent, alleys remain littered with hide scraps, and the air is heavy with chemical stench. Residents say they were promised clean air and water, but nothing has changed.
Historically, Hazaribagh’s tanneries dumped around 22,000 cubic metres of untreated liquid waste into the Buriganga every day, along with tons of solid waste such as flesh, hair, and trimmings. That toxic load poisoned the river and the surrounding soil. The relocation was supposed to end this, but enforcement has been weak. Court orders to shut down illegal factories often go ignored, with operations continuing late at night or under the cover of political protection.
The human toll is severe. Workers in these illegal units, often young men and even teenagers, still handle hides with bare hands and stand ankle-deep in chromium-laced water. Without masks, gloves, or boots, they suffer burns, respiratory problems, and chronic illness. For residents, contaminated drains and water sources mean higher rates of skin disease, stomach disorders, and asthma. Studies have shown that tannery workers are nearly twice as likely to suffer respiratory and skin problems compared to other industrial workers.
Meanwhile, in Savar, the CETP has failed to meet the estate’s capacity. The industrial zone produces around 40,000 cubic metres of liquid waste daily, but the treatment plant can handle only about 25,000. The rest, like before, flows untreated into the Dhaleshwari River. Pollution has not been solved; it has only shifted.
Experts argue that real progress requires shutting down every illegal tannery in Hazaribagh, upgrading waste treatment in Savar, and enforcing worker safety standards. Without these steps, Dhaka risks repeating the same environmental disaster in a new location.
For Hazaribagh’s residents, the demand remains simple: clean air, safe water and a life free from toxins. Until the government acts decisively, the neighbourhood will continue to carry the stain of an industry that refuses to change.
