Pollution
The Department of Environment (DoE) has fined Barnali Fabrics, a dyeing factory on the bank of Dhaleshwari river in Munshiganj, Tk 25 lakh yesterday on charge of polluting the river with toxic liquid industrial waste.

DoE Director (Enforcement) Md Munir Chowdhury conducted a drive at the factory on Saturday and fined its proprietor at the directorate yesterday, said a DoE press release.

Managing director of the Barnali Fabrics, engineer M A Rashid, admitted to have caused the river pollution and begged to be pardoned.

The DoE official issued a notice to the authority to remove the illegal underground drain of the factory that carries the untreated red-coloured liquid industrial waste directly to the Dhaleshwari river and to install effluent treatment plant (ETP) within 24 hours.

The fine will be realised today.

Earlier, the DoE officials found the ETP of the dyeing factory was left totally out of order though the production was going on.

The industry had been given warning twice to stop discharging liquid waste and to set up ETP but the factory authority ignored it.

DoE said around 80 thousand cubic metre of untreated liquid industrial waste was discharged into the river since the factory was set up in 2006.

thedailystar