Industrial pollution and curbing strategy in practice:

tannery and textile industry- implication for health in

Bangladesh

Group Name: Pollution Abatement

Name of group members:

Tasnim Islam Tushin- 101

Md.Aminul Islam-50

Md.Rafiqul Islam-54

Md.Shakil Ahmed-14

ShuvenduFerdaus- 13

Institute of Health Economics

University of Dhaka
 Acknowledgement

We are thankful to our course instructor Mr. AzharUddin for his immense support
and guidance throughout the project.

Also, thanking the group members for their contribution.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Industrial Sector and Pollution in Bangladesh
3. Main causes of Industrial Pollution in DMP
4. Social Costs of Industrial Pollution:
i) Environmental Impacts of Industrial Pollution
ii) Health hazards of Industrial Pollution
5. Internalizing the Externality
6. Government Steps for Pollution Control in Bangladesh
7. Challenges
8. Policy Recommendation
9. Sustainable Industrialization
10. Conclusion

References
Introduction

Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated and poorest countries in the world, with a per
capita Gross National Product (GNP) of $260, and in which approximately 60 percent of the
population live below the poverty line (WB, 1993). The population remains largely rural with
only around 20 percent living in urban areas. Rural livelihoods are dominated by agricultural
production but peoples livelihood systems are diverse with fishing either for purely subsistence
use or small commercial sales being common. Fish accounts for approximately 63 percent of the
animal protein in peoples diet (BBS, 2004). Less than 40 percent of the rural population has
access to modern primary health care (PHC) services beyond child immunizations and family
planning BBS, 2000; Abedin, 1997).

The high population growth rate and poverty levels have led Bangladesh to set a development
target in the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (iPRSP) of a seven percent growth in
GDP to achieve its development goals by 2015. The iPRSP calls for a focus on employment-
intensive industrialization with emphasis on small and medium enterprises and export oriented
industries (iPRSP, 2002, p.32).

There are now over 24,000 registered small-scale industrial units in Bangladesh (SEHD, 1998)
and it is generally accepted there are an equivalent number unregistered. The growth of small-
scale industrial activities in Bangladesh has a positive development dynamic in macroeconomic
terms, for example, the ready-made garment (RMG) sector accounts for a little over 75 percent
of national export earnings and 9.5 percent of GDP, providing US$ five billion in revenue and
employing around 10 million people. However, industrialization has also brought with it a
range of problems.The industries tend to be clustered together and are highly polluting. As
a consequence of their rapid and largely unregulated development, many aquatic
ecosystems are now under threat and with them the livelihood systems of local people
(Chadwick and Clemett, 2002). Consequently, whilst Bangladesh is, in industrial terms, a
relatively undeveloped country, the problem of localized pollution is alarming (SEHD, 1998);
a situation that is compounded by the high population density of the country.
Moreover,Kaliakoir Thana in Gazipur District to the north-east of Dhaka is one such industrial
cluster where rapid, unplanned industrial expansion has led to serious local pollution. This area was
historically an important rice growing area but its close proximity to Dhaka has gradually led to more
industries locating there over the past 15 years. There are now several types of industry in the area
including a tannery, poultry farms and pharmaceutical industries but it is dominated by textile
manufacturers, including dyeing and printing units. The livelihoods of the people who live in
Kaliakoir are seriously affected by the pollution causing problems with agriculture and fish
production, as well as health impacts and demand the need for a more systematic rapid health
assessment.
Industrial Sector and Pollution in Bangladesh
Industrialization began at a very slow pace in Bangladesh in the 1950s with the primary focus on
agro-based industries such as jute, cotton and sugar. After independence in 1971, interest grew
but it was not until the late 1970s that industrialization increased rapidly driven primarily by the
RMG industry. Several government initiatives were also undertaken to promote industrial
growth, including the establishment of industrial estates and export processing zones (EPZ). By
late 1990, 60 industrial estates and two EPZs had been established. Growth was particularly
marked in the RMG sector. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association
(BGMEA) reported a growth in the RMG industry from 30 enterprises in 1980 to 4107 in 2005
(BGMEA, 2005) although this only represents those who are members of BGMEA, and does not
include members of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) or the Bangladesh
Knitwear Manufacturers Association (BKMA), or all the industries that have not registered with
any of the trade associations. BGMEA (2005) also reported a 20 percent increase in RMG export
over the past two decades.

From a pollution point of view, Dyeing, Leather, Sugar, Pulp, Brick- Fields and Paper industries
are the major contributors. Non-renewable local resource based industries include industries
based on mineral resources such as limestone, hard rock, gravel, glass, sand and various types of
clays. In this category, major polluters are the cement and fertilizer factories. Imported resource
based industries includes textiles, pharmaceuticals, plastics, petroleum and metal works. Many of
these are found to be highly polluting.

For many years policy planners have been under the impression that since Bangladesh is one of
the less developed countries, pollution is yet to be an issue of concern (SEHD, 1998). However,
several studies undertaken in the last decade have dispelled such beliefs. The Department of
Environment (DoE) in the early 1990s carried out a survey of industries, principally tanneries.
The report found that acidic emissions from effluents had the potential to cause serious
respiratory disorders to the employees and residents of the area and damage to buildings (GOB,
1997). Similarly, the Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD) published a
report in 1998 which provided an overview of the key environmental issues in Bangladesh. It
showed that treatment of industrial waste was considered a low priority and that due to the
absence of strong preventative measures and lack of awareness, the practice of discharging
untreated industrial waste into water bodies was almost universal. The serious public
health problems that this could create have so far been minimized as the waste was diluted
and flushed from water bodies during the rainy season. However as industrial expansion
has continued since the 1980s, acute localized pollution is now threatening the
sustainability of the resource base and increasingly impacting on the health of the
population.

To address rising concern the National Environmental Policy was approved in 1992 and the
National Environmental Action Plan was developed. In 1995, the Bangladesh Environment
Protection Ordinance was enacted. Environmental objectives were also contained in the
governments Fourth Five Year Plan (1990-1995) and are present in the Perspective Plan (1996-
2010). A plan of action for food safety and an inter-ministerial committee for coordinating and
monitoring food safety are operational. Yet, despite these policy initiatives, little has changed in
practice. One of the main difficulties is that environmental governance is limited with the
principle institution, the Department of the Environment, having limited human and
financial resources to tackle the problem.
The Main Causes of Industrial Pollution In Dhaka Metropolitan City
 Social Cost of Industrial Pollution

Environmental Impact of Industrial Pollution

1. Water Pollution: The effects of industrial pollution are far reaching and liable to affect the
eco-system for many years to come. Most industries require large amounts of water for their
work. When involved in a series of processes, the water comes into contact with heavy metals,
harmful chemicals, radioactive waste and even organic sludge.

These are either dumped into open oceans or rivers. As a result, many of our water sources have
high amount of industrial waste in them which seriously impacts the health of our eco-system.
The same water is then used by farmers for irrigation purpose which affects the quality of food
that is produced. Hence,domestic Water-related activities are hindered.

Water pollution has already rendered many ground water resources useless for humans and
wildlife. It can at best be recycled for further usage in industries.

2. Soil Pollution: Soil pollution is creating problems in agriculture and destroying local
vegetation. It also causes chronic health issues to the people that come in contact with such soil
on a daily basis.

3. Air Pollution: Air pollution has led to a steep increase in various illnesses and it continues to
affect us on a daily basis. With so many small, mid and large scale industries coming up, air
pollution has taken toll on the health of the people and the environment.

4. Wildlife Extinction: By and large, the issue of industrial pollution shows us that it causes
natural rhythms and patterns to fail, meaning that the wildlife is getting affected in a severe
manner. Habitats are being lost, species are becoming extinct and it is harder for the environment
to recover from each natural disaster. Major industrial accidents like oil spills, fires, leak of
radioactive material and damage to property are harder to clean-up as they have a higher impact
in a shorter span of time.

5. Global Warming: With the rise in industrial pollution, global warming has been increasing at
a steady pace. Smoke and greenhouse gases are being released by industries into the air which
causes increase in global warming. Melting of glaciers, extinction of polar beers, floods,
tsunamis, hurricanes are few of the effects of global warming.

The issue of industrial pollution concerns every nation on the planet. As a result, many steps
have been taken to seek permanent solutions to the problem. Better technology is being
developed for disposal of waste and recycling as much polluted water in the industries as
possible. Organic methods are being used to clean the water and soil, such as using microbes that
naturally uses heavy metals and waste as feed. Policies are being pushed into place to prevent
further misuse of land. However, industrial pollution is still rampant and will take many years to
be brought under control.

Health Hazards of Industrial Pollution

On research several life threatening diseases were discovered which includes: diarrhea, skin
diseases, gastric ulcers, gastroenteritis, acute respiratory illnesses (Tuberculosis, Asthma),
anaemia, high blood pressure and jaundice were the most common health problems amongst the
population in the area. In addition, people also suffer from gout, rheumatism, conjunctivitis,
pneumonia, malaria, tuberculosis and cancer.

Skin Problems

Skin problems, allergic conditions, itching and other skin lesions are contact-type diseases.
Research has shown that the water bodies are generally alkali, which is likely to be attributable
to the extensive use of the alkalis soda ash and caustic soda in the textile dyeing industry. This
alkalinity is likely to be a key factor in the skin irritations and rash reported by local
communities as they reported that the symptoms manifest themselves when their skin has come
into physical contact with near water bodies or sediment. Also, eczema and contact dermatitis are
prevalent among the workers of textilefactories and fishermen.

Diarrhea and Dysentery

The majority of the respondents also blamed the lack of propersanitation systems, poultry farm
waste and lack of knowledge abouthygiene for diarrhea and dysentery, which are frequent
amongchildren, slum dwellers and factory workers. Diarrhea is one of themost prevalent health
problems reported to be suffered by children.

Gastric ulcers have been identified as a common health problem forworkers in the area,
including factory workers. The doctors and healthworkers interviewed felt that this was due to
irregular eating habits andthe length of time between meals. Many studies confirm
theoccupational health problems associated with working in the textiledyeing industry in
Sanganer, including that by Usha (1984) which notesthe high incidences of not only skin
problems but also asthma, chronicbronchitis, tuberculosis, bladder cancer and irritation of the
eyes.

Respiratory Disorders
Respiratory disorder was highlighted as a major problem. Although this may be caused by a
number of factors studieshave shown that occasional high concentrations of hydrogen
sulphidefound in community air samples were consistent with complaints ofheadaches, eye
irritation, and sore throats (Fielder et al., 2000).In addition there is alarge body of evidence that
shows that textile dyes can act asrespiratory sensitizers and can lead to coughs, respiratory
tractirritation and asthma (Ahmed et al., 2005).

Malnutrition

The majority of residents claimed that the diseases thatoccur most commonly in the area are
either because of direct ingestionof contaminated water or because of reduced food intake, which
someattribute to the pollution. Rice production haddecreased in the area and fish catches in the
water bodies had declined due to water pollution and is causing a depletion of foodand nutrition
for the community making people suffer both physically (due to illnesses and lack of fish) and
financially (Fisherman in Gupinpur) threateningthe market. What is clear is over the last two
dry seasons major fish kills have taken place in the project fish sanctuaries that are generally
thought to be the consequence of industrial pollution (Daily Star, 6th April 2004).Effects of
malnutrition such as anaemia, protein deficiency syndrome and general weakness were reported
in the interviews to be common amongst adults and children in the study area. Malnutrition can
also aggravate the risks of other diseases caused by water pollution and may increase
vulnerability to the effects of exposure.

Maternal and Child Health

Studies on maternal health care suggested that there has been an increase in complications during
pregnancy and childbirth, including: abdominal pain during pregnancy; labour pain but delayed
delivery or births requiring caesarean, and sometimes still births. Swelling of the hands, feet
and legs during pregnancy (oedema); abnormal bleeding, anaemia and malnutrition were also
more common. There is medical evidence that suggest the view is at least plausible. For
example, oedema, a conditionwhen too much fluid, usually water, has accumulated in the body
islinked with poor kidney function and lack of protein. Protein reduces theosmotic pressure of
the blood and if blood protein levels drop significantly, there will be little or nothing to draw the
water back into the blood from the tissue spaces through the capillary walls. The result is an
accumulation of fluid in the tissue, called oedema. If fish production or sales are being affected
by the pollution as suggested by the community this may be contributing to the problem as fish,
on average, accounts for 63 percent of the animal protein and eight percent of the total protein
intake in peoples diets in Bangladesh (Department of Fisheries, 2004). Health problems during
pregnancy are common in Bangladesh and it is therefore difficult to determine whether or not
there are statistically higher problems in the project area. National health statistics (2000) suggest
that during pregnancy 25 percent of women suffer from abdominal pain which is followed by
swelling of the legs or body. Of these over 23 percent reported swelling of the leg (oedema) and
20 percent anaemia. Other ailments included convulsions (two percent), haemorrhaging during
pregnancy (four percent) and bleeding prior to delivery (three percent). Bleeding after delivery
was reported by 22 percent, prolonged labour by 19 percent and injuries during delivery by 6
percent.

Although no direct link can be made between individual pollutants and these problems other
studies have shown that hydrogen sulphide gas has had significant impacts on pregnancies. In a
study in China of 106women who reported occupational exposure to hydrogen sulphide in the
first trimester of their pregnancy showed significant proportion reported spontaneous abortion
Xu et al. (1998). In Kaliakoir hydrogen sulphidegas is almost certainly released to the
atmosphere by the reduction of sodium sulphate, which is used in the textile industry.

Consequently in the research area the communities reported increased caesarean cases requiring
hospitalization along with birth of deformed babies. Evidence from empirical studies in India and
elsewhere however demonstrate that textile waste does have mutagenic activity. Mathur et al.
(2004) performed mutagenicity tests samples of ground water, surface water and effluent
discharge from factories using the Salmonella/microsomereversion assay using the plate
incorporation procedure. They found that both surface water and end of pipe samples had
mutagenicityratios higher than 2.0 and therefore indicate that they may have mutagenic effects.
Similar finding were reported by McGeorge et al. (1984) for textile effluents and a study by
Sanchez et al. (1988) showed that of various industrial categories tested, the textile industry
contributed the highest percentage (67 percent) of mutagenic effects (Mathur et al., 2004).

Internalizing the Externality

Consider a market that produces leather and air and water pollution which is a byproduct of
manufacturing and increases with output. Consumers value the tires but are harmed by the
pollutiona thick, noxious odor and contaminated water that damages health and environment.
For simplicity, we assume that the only way to reduce pollution is to reduce production.
Smokestack scrubbers and other pollution control devices are assumed to be prohibitively
expensive.

Because competitive manufacturing firms do not have to pay the costs associated with the
pollution, they underestimate the true costs of production and charge too little for their product,
resulting in large leather sales and too much pollution, as we now illustrate. The demand curve,
D, in Figure below shows how much consumers are willing to pay for leather.
 Figure: A Market with Pollution

Each firm has a private marginal cost curve, which includes only the costs of producing leather
(labor, capital, equipment, materials) paid by the manufacturers and does not include the full
social costs of the pollution. In Figure, the MCp curve is the horizontal sum of the private
marginal cost curves of all the manufacturing plants in the market. That is, the MCp curve
ignores the harm done by the pollution.

If the market is competitive, MCp is the market supply curve. In the absence of government
intervention, a competitive market ignores the pollution damage and produces where supply,
MCp, equals demand, D. As Figure 3.1 shows, the market provides Qc leather at a price of pc.

Firms ignore the damage done by the air pollution they create. The dollar value of the marginal
damage (health harms, property damage, reduced agricultural output, and so forth) is called the
marginal pollution cost curve in diagram. The height of this curve shows how much
compensation pollution victims would have to receive to be indifferent between tolerating
incremental pollution and being compensated and not having to face the pollution caused by the
last unit of production. In the competitive equilibrium where price is pc and quantity is Qc, the
marginal pollution cost is Ec.
The full cost of leather to society, the social marginal cost, is the cost of manufacturing the tires
(the height on the MCp curve) plus the marginal damage due to pollution. Thus the full marginal
cost to society, MCs, is the vertical sum of the MCp and the marginal pollution cost curves.

The socially optimal solution includes some pollution. The only way to eliminate pollution
completely is to shut down the leather-manufacturing industry. Because consumers value
leathers (as shown by their demand curve), shutting down the industry would cause more harm
than good. The socially optimal solution is to restrict output to Q*, where the marginal social
benefit (value of the last leather) equals the social marginal cost (the marginal manufacturing and
pollution costs). That is, the optimal solution is to produce at the price p* and quantity Q* where
the MCs and demand curve, D, intersect. At the optimum, the marginal cost of the pollution is
E*, which is less than Ec, but still positive.

At this optimal point, welfare (consumer surplus plus producer surplus) is maximized. That is,
the area below the demand curve and above the MCs curve is greatest. In order to calculate
social welfare, we must use the MCs rather than the MCp curve so as to capture the full costs of
production. At the competitive equilibrium, there is a deadweight loss (the shaded area in Figure
3.1) due to the inefficiency from producing too much in this industry. That is, at the competitive
equilibrium, MCs is greater than the price, pc.

Regulation of Pollution:

There are two common ways that governments intervene in markets to reduce pollution. For
simplicity (but unrealistically), suppose that the government knows the demand and MCs curves
and that it can set its regulation optimally and costlessly. One possibility is that the government
could restrict output to Q*. [One variant of this approach is to allow firms to bid for the right to
produce a certain amount of pollution. The permits to pollute are tradeable to other firms. The
1990 Clean Air Act allows for such an auction and trades started taking place in the early
1990's.]

Alternatively, it could impose a tax equal to the marginal pollution cost on manufacturing firms.
[A tax does not always lead to optimality if the regulator wants to control the size of each firm
(Carlton and Loury 1980, 1986).] By imposing a tax, the government causes the firms to
internalize the externality: the firms bear the full social costs of production. In our example, a tax
per unit of output equal to E*, the marginal social cost of the pollution at the optimal output,
leads to the optimal output, Q*.
Coase Theorem:

A competitive market produces too much pollution when property rights are not clearly defined.
If property rights to air are clearly defined (that is, it is known who has the right to pollute or
who has the right to be free from pollution), and certain other conditions are met, the optimal
levels of pollution and output are obtained through competitive bargaining. This result is known
as the Coase Theorem (Coase 1960). Its striking implication is that the government does not have
to regulate pollution directly for society to achieve the optimum, provided certain conditions are
met.

To illustrate the Coase Theorem, consider two firms that share a small lake. One firm dumps the
waste byproducts of its manufacturing process into the lake, causing the Fisheries firm to lose
fish due to death of aquatic life in contaminated water. Until property rights over pollution are
clearly defined, the firms may hesitate to negotiate with each other.

If the manufacturing firm has the right to pollute clearly conferred on it, the boat rental firm can
pay it to reduce the amount of pollution dumped into the lake. The boat rental firm is willing to
pay to reduce pollution to the point where the marginal benefit it receives (additional rentals)
equals the marginal cost to the manufacturing firm (alternate waste disposal costs or loss of
profits from reduced sales). If the firms can bargain efficiently, the socially optimal level of
pollution (where marginal benefit equals marginal cost) is achieved, and income is transferred
from the fisheries firm to the manufacturing firm.

Alternatively, if the fisheries firm is given the property rights to the lake so that it controls
pollution, it is in the manufacturing firm's best interest to purchase the right to pollute up to the
point where its marginal benefit equals the marginal cost to the fisheries firm. The level of
pollution is at the same optimal level as before, but income is transferred from the manufacturer
to the fisheries firm. In other words, the level of pollution is not affected by the determination of
property rights, but the income distribution is. [If the income effects are large enough, this
redistribution of income can alter the outcome. For example, if being free of pollution is a
superior good, then as people become poorer, they will not pay as much to remove pollution.]

This solution, unfortunately, usually is not feasible even when property rights are clearly defined.
To achieve the optimal outcome, the two sides must bargain successfully with each other. There
are at least three important reasons why firms may not reach an agreement (Polinsky 1979).
First, if transaction costs are very high, it may not pay for the two sides to meet. For example, if
a manufacturing plant pollutes the air and water, thousands, if not millions, of people may be
affected. The cost of getting them all together to bargain is probably prohibitive. If a market in
pollution rights could be established, it would reduce these costs significantly. Second, if firms
engage in strategic bargaining behavior, an agreement may not be reached. Third, if either side
lacks information about the costs or benefits of reducing pollution, a nonoptimal outcome is
likely.
GOVERNMENTAL STEPS FOR POLLUTION CONTROL IN BANGLADESH

The Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF) of Bangladesh is primarily responsible for
environmental protection. It was created in 1989. The MOEF has taken some steps to control the
environmental pollution of Bangladesh.

National Environmental Management Action Plan (NEMAP).

The government has taken a project named NEMAP to integrate environment with the
development in a policy framework. It provides a guideline for promoting effective management
of resources, raising awareness among the people and improvement of environmental
degradation.

Environmental Acts, Rules and Laws.

The government of Bangladesh has modified environmental acts, rules and laws to improve
environmental condition. Environment court has already been established to take prompt legal
action against environmental pollution. The DOE has been empowered to punish the offenders of
environmental rules.

Control of Air Pollution.

Recently the DOE has taken some measures to carry out surveys on identification and control of
polluting industries, protecting habitats, examining the use of compressed natural gas in
industries, setting environmental standards and controlling river and automobile pollution on
environmental management. It also conducts vehicular emission measurements at Dhaka city.

Banning of Polyethylene Bags.

Most of the sewage lines of Dhaka city have been blocked by indiscriminate dumping of
polyethylene bags over the years. As such, the government has banned the production, marketing
and use of polyethylene bags up to 20 microns thick or less from 01 March 2002.

Urban Transport Project.

A Urban Transport Project has been launched by the Government to improve traffic system,
envisage good bus services, improve road networks by constructing over-bridges, fly-overs,
underpasses and envisages a positive role for non-motorized transport.

Embargo on Import of Items.

The government has banned the import of leaded petrol, high sulfur diesel and high sulfur coal.
The government has also encouraged to use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to the automobiles.
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has restricted the registration on two stroke three
wheelers.

Control of Arsenic Pollution

The Government has taken four Strategies to mitigate the arsenic problem. These are as follows:

(1). Immediate detection of the arsenic effected patients and ensure their proper treatment.

(2). Identify the arsenic contaminated tube wells, labeled them with red colour for danger ones
and green with safe ones.

(3). Detect the reasons for arsenic contamination in soil water and find out the sources of safe
drinking water.

(4). Conduct health education campaigns and grow awareness among the people.

Knowledge Enrichment Programme.

Environmental education program has been incorporated in primary and higher education. Many
universities have introduced various curriculum and projects on environmental issue.
Government organizations as well as NGOs present meetings and seminars to raise public
awareness on the environmental issue.

Rural Sanitation Programme.

The Bangladesh Government has taken a rural sanitation programme from October 2003 to
implement the facilitation, construction and installation of twin pit latrine. It improves rural
sanitation coverage and reduces infectious diseases in rural areas.

Unfortunately, all these bad things encroachment, dumping of industrial waste and other
abuses - occur in full knowledge of the authorities,"

Among the top polluters are dozens of tanneries on the banks of the Buriganga. The
government has initiated a move to relocate the tanneries outside the capital, and also
asked illegal encroachers to vacate the river. But environmental groups say they defy such
orders by using their political links or by bribing people, highlighting the reality of
Bangladeshi industrial plants in applying pollution prevention initiatives. It reveals that
compared to leading firms in developed countries, pollution prevention initiatives in
Bangladesh are considerably underutilized.
CHALLENGES:
Public water bodies are failing to meet nationalwater quality standards, threatening
the livelihoodsof those dependent on wetland products andbiodiversity, and this is
a direct consequence of thefailure of factories to meet the same nationalstandards in
their waste water.
Alternative production options and effluenttreatment should be promoted and
adopted byindustry to improve production efficiency therebysaving cost while
reducing the water pollution.Industries that fail to take up these options toremedy
their problems that cause harm to thepublic interest should face the consequences
asstipulated in the law.
The number of industries is increasing rapidlywithout consideration of the local
impact onlivelihoods from natural resources. There is nozoning policy or local
development planning at theUpazila level. Even if good practices were adoptedby some
industries, pollution levels in the Kaliakoirstudy area could remain high because the
numberof factories in the area continues to increaserapidly. If these new
industries do not adopt cleanproduction technologies and clean up their wastethen the
gains from the few that do will not beenough.

Water resource degradation is a poverty andgovernance issue that needs to be

addressed nowand on a national scale. Government departmentsespecially the
Department of Environment (DOE),industrial associations and chambers,
researchinstitutions, international buyers, non-governmental organizations and legal
experts needto work together to develop a framework andmodalities of
implementation for improvedenvironmental governance. Existing nationalstandards
need to be enforced and adhered to

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLLUTION CONTROL: Curbing Strategy

The government has taken some steps to improve the pollution control of Bangladesh. But the
steps are not adequate. As such, few more steps may also be taken to improve the environmental
degradation:

Use of Environmental Technologies and Methods:

Environmental technologies and methods such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS),

remote sensing and environmental impact assessment might be used for integrated policy
formulation, decision-making, evaluation and monitoring of environment.
Development of Environmental Database:

A comprehensive environmental database may be made and the environmental planners might
have the access for environmental up-gradation, planning and management The database is to be
updated regularly.

Environmental Education and Awareness:

Formal and informal methods of education might be adopted through local media, seminars,
celebrations, workshops, walks and student competitions to aware the people regarding the
process of environmental degradation.

Industrial and Solid Waste Management:

The government might take appropriate measures to monitor emission limits and Market Based
Incentives (MBI) for reducing pollution control. The industries might be given both technical
and financial support for introducing mitigation measures, promoting green technologies, using
less pollution technologies and recycling the waste.

Enforcement of Rules and Regulation:

Environmental Conservation Rules of 1997, traffic rules and other relevant environmental laws
might be enforced further to punish the violation of the emission limits.

Urban Transport Management:

Government must strengthen vehicle emission standards, complete the emission inventory and
conduct an investigation on the emission control measures. Auto-rickshaw must be restricted in
Dhaka city. Government must replace old vehicles, two-stroke engine vehicles, improve traffic
conditions and promote an equivalent and efficient alternative public transportation services to
improve urban transport management.

Reduce Sulfur in Diesel:

Government must take necessary steps to remove sulfur content from diesel through hydro-
desulphurization (HDS) process. The government must also enforce the vehicle manufacturers to
install catalytic converters in every vehicle to reduce the vehicular emissions.

Existing water quality standards need to be enforced through the following steps:

Increased awareness among industrialists about the pollution problem and their legal and
social responsibility to prevent it.
It should be mandatory for all textile and dyeing industries to adopt more efficient
production options. It should be mandatory that industries construct and then
 regularly and efficiently operate their ETPs and monitor their effluents to keep
them within the standards set by law.
Voluntary or public provision of common ETPs may be a solution to serve adjacent small
scale industries, operating on a cost sharing basis.
National and community level bodies should be established and validated to
monitor water quality of khals, beelsand rivers, and the results used to
determine anti-pollution measures, operating permits and actions (including legal
actions) against offending industries.
Given the scale of the problem, its resource limitations, and the need to demonstrate
transparency and objectivity, DoE should accredit and appoint competent third party
organizations to work on its behalf to monitor industries regularly in addition to
its own monitoring.
DoE should seek to actively work with and inform local government at Union and
Upazila levels of the issues and how local government can use its powers to
minimize pollution. DoE should make formal links with Upazila Fisheries Committees
to assist them in ensuring acceptable water quality in wetlands and capture fisheries.
International buyers have a key role in influencing industry, they need to be
influenced to adopt environmental codes of conduct and then to enforce them on
their supplying industries.
Bangladesh trade bodies should change their role and set environmental conditions on
membership, for example they could cancel membership of companies that fail to install
and operate properly ETPs

SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRIALIZATION:

Whilethe positive side of rapid industrialization proves the improvement ofefficiencyand

productivity, hence theaccelerated economic growth, is negativeside, on the other hand,
shows instability, imbalance, inequality,damage ofecologicalenvironment, and in turn,
these negative factors hamper thecapabilityof sustainable development of
industrialization and economic growth.

Inrecent years, a number ofnegative outcomes of high economic growth

andrapidindustrialization have become evident and threatened the
sustainabledevelopmentof developing economies in Asia. Those are the over
urbanization, theimbalanceddevelopment of different regions, the depletion of natural
resources and the destruction of the ecological environment. Leakage of toxic chemicals,
thecareless disposal ofindustrialwastes, and the application of polluting technologies
transferred fromdevelopedcountries,forest cutting for timber, firewood, andslash-and-
burncultivationpractice,etc.have devastated the potentials for industrialization
andsustainabledevelopment. Unless further damages are prevented, no
sustainableindustrializationwouldbe possible.

Asiandeveloping countries have been increasingly aware of these problems. Theyhave

individually and/or coordinatelyadopted policies and measures, for each nation and for
the region and the world at large, to overcome these problems. However, the efforts so
far, though great and incremental, have been far from sufficient to control the disastrous
consequences, yet to say about improving the situation.
In most of developing countries, the legal framework, physical investment, technological
solution, policy enforcement and public movement for environment protection are all,
weak, and/or inefficient.

Efforts are needed to prevent the negative and serious consequences of industrialization.
As long as the ecological environment is not well protected, human resource is not
developed, and social policies do not benefit most of thepeople, industrialization and
modernization, though achieved high for a certain period, cannot be a sustainable
development.
A new strategic trend or, may it be called, a new strategy of sustainable industrialization
has emerged to overcome the in-so-far mistakes, bias and distortions, and to formulate a
more balanced and dynamic development mechanism, with greater international and
regional integration, and a better environment protection.
CONCLUSION
References:

Hossain, Rahman: A Study of Industrial River Pollution in DMDP Area and Planning
Approaches.

Chowdhury, Huq : Human Health and Industrial Pollution in Bangladesh

Rahman: A Study of Coastal Water Pollution of Bangladesh

Islam: Environmental Issues in Bangladesh: An Overview

Abedin, M. N. (1997) Health and Population Sector: An Overview and Vision - Paper for the
Logical Framework (Log-Frame) Workshop for the Fifth Health and Population Programme
(HAPP-5) 23-25 February 1997. Government of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Industrial Pollution and its Threat to Wetlands in Bangladesh: A project of USAID

Websites:

http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-of-industrial-pollution.php

http://www.sos-arsenic.net/english/environment/leatherindustry.html

http://wps.aw.com/aw_carltonper_modernio_4/21/5566/1424945.cw/content/index.html

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/economics/14-03-microeconomic-theory-and-public-policy-fall-
2010/lecture-notes/MIT14_03F10_lec13.pdf

http://www.uvic.ca/research/centres/capi/assets/docs/Dinh_Sustainable_Industrialization.pdf
Contributions:
Sl. No: NAME
1 Tasnim Islam Tushin- 101
2 Md.Aminul Islam-50
3 Md.Shakil Ahmed-14
4 Md.Rafiqul Islam-54
5 ShuvenduFerdaus- 13
Contribution
Sourcing Journals
Typing, Editing
Industrial Sector and Pollution in Bangladesh
Main causes of Industrial Pollution
Social Costs of Industrial Pollution
Internalizing the Externality
Government steps for pollution control in Bangladesh
Challenges
Sustainable Industrialization
Sourcing Journals, Printing, Recommendations
Sourcing Journals, Introduction
Sourcing Journals, Conclusion
Sourcing Journals