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The dyeing and printing units of the Universal Yarn Dyeing facility in Tangail, Bangladesh, are releasing toxic waste, including arsenic, into the nearby Louhajang River, threatening public health, fish, crops and vegetation, according to The [Bangladesh] Daily Star Internet edition, www.thedailystar.net. The chemical wastes, permitted for disposal in a pond or pit on the company compound, have allegedly been piped directly into the river.
The Tangail BSCIC Industrial Area includes 75 mills and factories, many of which have drained wastes into the river. The Alauddin Textile Mill, also located in the district, completed an effluent treatment plant in 2007, but witnesses claim that treatment plant operations are suspended to save money. Locals have noted disappearance of fish, barren land and skin diseases in villages using the river water. The local authorities cannot take action against mill pollution, which is regulated by Bangladesh’s Directorate of Environment.