Reader : Kaliakoir Industrial Pollution

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1 Reader : Kaliakoir Industrial Pollution 1

2 Table of Contents 1. Background Study Area: Location Population Land use Agricultural Practice: Type of farmers Irrigation water: Irrigation Service charges Industries and Industrial water use Hydrology of Turag-Bangshi Area Rainfall Water Level Variation in the Beels Water Quality Pollution impacts and conflicts Water Management Institutions Environmental Law and Regulations Appendix 1 : Additional Information

3 1. Background Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world with approximately 895 people per square kilometer, and a projected population of around 146 million by the year It is also one of the world s poorest countries, with a per capita Gross National Product (GNP) of $260, and in which approximately 60 percent of the population live below the poverty line (World Bank, 1993). The population remains largely rural with only around 20 percent living in urban areas. Rural livelihoods are dominated by agricultural production but people s livihood systems are diverse with fishing either for purely subsistence use or commercial sales being common. Fish accounts for approximately 63 percent of the animal protein in people s diet (BBS, 2004). Less 40 percent of the population has access to modern primary health care (PHC) services beyond child immunisations and family planning (BBS, 2000; Abedin, 1997). The high population growth rate and poverty levels have led Bangladesh to set a development target in the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (iprsp) of a 7 percent growth in GDP to achieve its development goals by The iprsp calls for a focus on employment-intensive industrialisation with emphasis on small and medium enterprises and export oriented industries. The country still has a relatively small industrial sector contributing about 20 percent of the GDP between but it is growing rapidly. The manufacturing sub-sector accounts for about half of this and grew at a rate of five percent between 1972 and 1992 (Bhattacharya et al., 1995). There are now over 24,000 registered small-scale industrial units in Bangladesh (SEHD, 1998) and it is generally accepted there are an equivalent number unregistered. The growth of small-scale industrial activities in Bangladesh has a positive development dynamic in macro-economic terms, for example the ready-made garment (RMG) sector accounts for 76 percent of national export earnings and 9.5 percent of GDP, providing US$ 5 billion in revenue and employing around 10 million people, however industrialisation has also brought with it a range of problems, including pollution of water resources. Many are highly polluting and as a consequence of their rapid and largely unregulated development, many 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 localised pollution is alarming (SEHD, 1998); a situation that is compounded by the high population density of the country of around 800 people per square kilometre. 3

4 2. Study Area: Kaliakoir Thana in Gazipur District is an industrial site where rapid industrial expansion has led to serious local pollution. This area was historically a prime rice growning area but the number of industries locating there has steadily grown over the past 15 years. There are now serveral types of industry in the area but it is dominated by textile manufacturers, including dyeing and printing units, as well as poultry farms, some pharmaceutical industries and a tannery. 2.1 Location Kaliakair, is the second smallest upazilla of Gazipur District approximately 25 kilometres north-east of Dhaka. The area of the upazilla is sq.km. including 1.22 sq.km. river and sq.km. forest area (Appendix 1). It is situated between 24º15 north latitudes and between 90º22 east longitudes. The Upazilla is bordered, on the south by Savar and Dhamrai thana of Dhaka district and on the west by Mirzapur thana of Tangail zila. The Upazilla consists of 9 unions, 181 mauzas and 283 villages. The average population of union, mauza and village are 25,879, 1287 and 823 respectively. 4

5 Figure 1: Gazipur District map showing study area 2.2 Population The population of the area is 232,915 of which 119,265 are males and 113,650 are females. According to 1991 data, the sex ratio of the Upazilla is 105 males per 100 females. The decadal population growth ratio is 40.51% and annual compounded growth rate is 3.46%. The decadal growth rates over the last 110 years are shown in table Table 1 below: Table 1: Decadal Growth of Population : Decade Growth Rate Decade Growth Rate (-) Land use Land use data of the study area is given in Table 4. It is found that Boro rice cultivation is predominant though a large area remains fallow and as settlement area. Table 4 Land use of study area, March 2001 Land use Area in ha. Boro 4414 Settlement 5750 Forest 952 Fisheries 48 Industries 92 Khal and Beel 226 Pond 161 Current Fallow 7487 Total Table 5 shows land use pattern by household classes. It shows that the distribution of the land area is very uneven. The landless farmers have lowest area of land. Each 5

6 household in the area use land as homestead, cultivation, orchard and pond. However, major portion of the land is used for cultivation. Table 5 Land use pattern by household classes in Turag-Bongshi Homestead (Dec) Cultivatable (Dec) Orchard (Dec) Pond (Dec) Fallow (Dec) Land less Marginal Farmers Small Farmers Medium Farmers Large Farmers Agricultural Practice: Crops grown by the households are categorized into three cropping sequence i.e. Rabi, Kharip I, Kharip II. Boro, wheat, pulses and mustard are known as rabi crop, Aush and jute is known as Kharip I and Aman known as Kharip II. During Rabi season 97% household were found to cultivate Boro crop. The next widely grown crops in Rabi season were found to be Mustards (25%) and wheat (15%). 2.5 Type of farmers Table 2 shows that the farmers in the area are classified into five categories 1. This categorization is based on the land holding size of a household. A household having 0-50 decimal land is considered as landless farmer. In the area most of the dwelling households depend on agriculture which is the main source of household income. Other sources of household income are from non agricultural source such as fishing, trading etc (Table 3). Table 2 Type of farmers Household class Holding size HHs No % of household (Dec.) Land less This was categorized based on the information of a baseline survey carried out in September, 1999 by MACH-CNRS. The survey was conducted in 8 villages (280 household) in the area. 6

7 Marginal Farmers Small Farmers Medium Farmers Large Farmers All classes 280 Table 3 Percentage distribution of household by occupation Occupation Landless Marginal Small Medium Large All household (HH) Farmer Share Cropper Day labourer Fisherman Boatman Trading Industrial worker Others Drinking water: In the, 90.48% of the dwelling households use tube-well, 0.87% use tap, 8.46% use dugwell, 0.09% use pond and 0.10% use canal/river as main source of drinking water. However, only 48% households own tubewell. 2.7 Irrigation water: In the area crop is produced in rainfed and irrigated lands. 52% of farmers use ground water, 18% use river water, 23% use beel water and rest use canal or pond water for irrigating their fields. In the area, farmers with small land holdings obtain higher yields than larger holders. This is because the poor farmers use the available water more efficiently, grow better quality rice and irrigate more intensively than farmers with more land. 7

8 2.7.1 Irrigation Service charges Water charges in the area are not based on the volume of water used but on (1) area irrigated and (2) type of crop grown. Charges average around Tk 500 per acre. But, collection rates are poor in the system. 2.8 Industries and Industrial water use There are about 274 industries in the area, of which 166 is textile related industries (Figure 2). It has been estimated that number of industries in the area has increased from 80 to 274, of which textile related factories have increased from around 20 to 166 between 2003 and 2005 (out of which 51 industries are directly involved in dyeing). It is estimated that textiles and dying industries use about 240 L of water for processing 1 kg of fabric. Ground water is used for this purpose. In the area, most textiles and dying industries have 5-10 tons capacity per day. 8

9 Figure 2: Industries in Kaliakair area 9

10 3 Hydrology of Turag-Bangshi Area The Turag-Bangshi river basin is located in the North Central Hydrological Region of Bangladesh. This region is bounded by the Jamuna, Padma, Old Brahmaputra and the Sitalakha river system; Jamuna being on the west, Old Brahmaputra on the north and northeast, and Sitolakha on the east. Other important waterways are the Dhaleswari-Kaliganga River, which crosses the southwestern part of the region. Besides these main rivers, the region is drained by many small rivers such as, Bangshi, Pungli, Banar etc. The study area consists of a portion of the Turag- Bangshi River and their adjacent wetlands within Kaliakair Upazila of Gazipur District. Typical of most low-lying floodplains of Bangladesh, the Turag-Bangshi River runs through numerous beels on either side of the river. At the beginning of the rainy season, as floodwaters enter the upstream portions of the Bangshi, water spills over the riverbanks through canals/khals that connect the river to those adjacent beels. Fish, for the most part, move from the rivers to the beel/floodplain areas for spawning or nursing and then into the deeper perennial portions of the beels or back into the river as water recedes after the rains. Dry season water level reduction in khal and beel is caused by the ground and surface water extraction for boro rice irrigation, and reduced flows due to deforestation in local and upper-watershed areas (MACH, 2001). During this period, fish remain only in river pools (called 'kum's) and in the deepest portions of the beels (called 'doha'). Within the Turag site, a total of 26 beels having water surface area of approximately 10,000 ha during full flood, which is reduced to less than 700 ha. at the end of the dry season. The river Turag runs approximately 30 km through the site and there are another 28km of khals which exist within the area. The hydrology of the Turag-Bangsi Flood Plain, like those of similar areas of Bangladesh, is determined principally by the monsoon occurring from May-October followed by a dry period from November- April. The availability of water determines fish production, agriculture cycle and life style of the people in the area. 3.1 Rainfall In the area, on an average there is less than 3% of annual rainfall during December- March, less than 20% of annual rainfall during the pre-monsoon period (March-May) and the remainder during the period June-October. In Mokesh beel, Alua beel and Turag River flows shown to have maintained the same levels over the last 50 years during rainy season. But in dry season water level has shown to have declined (MACH, 2001). 10

11 3.2 Water Level Variation in the Beels. The water level of Mokesh Beel was monitored for four years ( ). During this period, the same trend was observed from January to May. However, it was found that water level began to rise in May of 2002 though in the previous year, water level was far below during the same period. At the end of June 2002, water level exceeded 2001's level due to the heavy downpour during this month. In 2003, water level followed the same trend of the previous year. Dry season Water Area The dry season water area has been estimated for the months March-April Spatial distribution of dry season water area is given in Table 6. Table 6: Estimated dry season water area of Mokesh Beel Catchment Types of water area Area in ha Khal and beel (dry season) Mokesh and kaliadaha Pond (Adjustcent to Mokesh and Kaliadaha) 9.20 Total Water Quality Mokesh Beel is one of the biggest wetlands in the area covering approximately 1,100 ha (2,700 acres) in the wet season, but holding only 40 ha (100 acres) of water in the dry season, when it receives most of its water from Ratanpur Khal, which is fed almost entirely by industrial effluent (Figure 1). As a result, water quality has gradually deteriorated to a level which was reportedly unsuitable for certain types of aquatic life. It is found that water in the khal has high biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ph and sulfide levels (Table 4). This pollution was found to be a serious problem affecting the livelihoods of local people. In an initial participatory problem census, conducted in 1999 by the Management of Aquatic Ecosystems through Community Husbandry (MACH) project (USAID and GOB funded project), local people reported that the fish they caught had a bad smell and were difficult to sell or eat (Chowdhury and Clemett, 2006). It is estimated that approximately 30 billon liters per year of wastewater entering into the Mokesh beel and adjustcent water bodies of the area. These wastewaters contained a number of chemicals. On the basis of inputs to the textile dyeing process it was calculated that several hundred metric tons of acetic acid, soda ash, glauber salt, common salt and dyes are contributed to the system annually (Table 7). Given the 11

12 huge increase in the number of textile dyeing units in the area over the past six years, this figure is likely to have increased several-fold. Table 7 Quantities of Five Auxiliaries Entering Textile Dyeing Wastewater Auxiliaries Mass used per year (metric tons) Acetic Acid 105 Soda Ash 432 Glauber salt 1550 Common salt 115 Dyes 167 Table 4 Range of Water Quality Analysis Results Parameter National Standard for effluent Khal Beel COD (ppm) BOD (ppm) DO (ppm) ph Sulphide (ppm) Sulfate (ppm) TDS (ppm) Sediment samples analyzed in the area were found to contain high sulphur. The high sulphur levels however are almost certainly related to the high quantities of sodium sulphate that are used in textile dyeing. Fish samples had very low metal concentrations but this may not to be indicative of the pollution load as the fish were very small and of young age of the fish. 5 Pollution impacts and conflicts Due to the high dependence on natural water resources in the area, and the goods and services that the locals produce, the availability of clean water has become the main issue of concern and conflict among the users. In this particular case, water is availability but its use is extremely limited by of the quality of the water. The high BOD and COD of the effluents, and the resultant high BOD, COD and low DO of the khal and beel appear to have impacted on the quantity and quality of fish stocks. Local fisherman report that fish stocks in the areas have gone down, which 12

13 means that they can no longer fully depend on fishing and have to look for alternative income generating activities. In addition, they were blamed for selling tainted fish in the market and say that people will not buy fish if they know that it has been caught in Mokesh Beel. Farmers interviewed as part of a livelihoods study also claim that the water pollution is impacting on their crops. They are particularly concerned about the polluted sediments that are left on their land after the rainy season, which analysis has shown contain high sulphur levels. In addition they are sometimes compelled to irrigate their land with beel water due to groundwater shortages or lack of access to tube wells. These problems they say reduce yields on some plots of land and also give the crops a bad taste. Skin diseases and diarrhoea are most predominant health problems in the area. Community members and health workers interviewed claimed that there may be an association between pollution and health problems. It has been reported that children and factory workers suffer the most from skin diseases, and some health workers noted that fishermen and those who have frequent contact with beel water also suffer. 5.1 Emergence of conflict In the beginning the pollution problem was a silent issue as the economy of the area was highly dependent on the industries. It is observed that most of the household in the area have one or two members working in the industries. Also, the area became a centre of interest for outsiders and many businesses were brought in the area, therefore, people were hesitant to raise this problem publicly. The situation worsened further in 2004, 2005 and 2006 when there were a large fish kill in the areas that decimated the fish population, including the fish in one of the fish sanctuaries. After this the community became even more active on this issue. Conflict of interests in the area Actors Community Farmers Fisherman Interest Use clean water for domestic use Job in industries Clean environment for new generation Stay healthy Enforcement of law Safe water for cultivation Same yield and quality Carry out fishing in all areas Stay in fishing profession Sell clean fish in the local market 13

14 Industries Department of environment Environmental Activist Stay in business, earn foreign currency Comply with buyers criteria Maintain the quality of water Save environment 6 Water Management Institutions Local level There is no formal water management association in the area. However, there are 4 Resource Management Organizations (RMO) in the area. Their prime responsibilities are sustainable management of a particular wetland ecosystem within their respective jurisdictions. Within the two RMOs, there are two water quality monitoring groups who are involved in monitoring the water bodies of the area. These RMOs were formed with the help of MACH project (GOB and USAID funded project). Since 1999 MACH project is working in this area. Their goal is to promote ecologically sound management of floodplain resources for the sustainable supply of food to the poor. There is one Local Government committee in the area responsible for local level planning and resource management. This committee consists of Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), Upazila Fisheries Officer, Upazilla Agriculture Officer, MACH s site coordinators, Resource Management Organization (RMO) representatives and union Chairman. Pollution Abatement Team of Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), University of Leeds (UK), and Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) are also working in this area to identify and implement mitigation measures to reduce pollution in the area. There is a National Steering Committee for MACH project to provide guidance and advice on managing the natural resources of the area. This committee is chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MOFL). The Ministry of Land (MOL) representative is the vice-chairperson, and the Department of Fisheries (DOF), Department of Environment (DOE), External Relations Division (ERD), Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MOEF), Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), Planning Commission, USAID, and MACH have all been represented in this committee. The committee met at least once a year or as often as required. 14

15 National Level The overall responsibility for the administration and management of governmentowned land and water bodies is vested in the Ministry of Land (MoL), in accordance with the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act (1950). Any ministry or government agency requiring any land or water bodies for execution of its projects must obtain it through MoL. As such, MoL has passed authority to MoFL to lease several water bodies in the country as part of its Community Based Fisheries Management Programme. Generally, however, the management of land and water bodies is conducted through the local government administration. Government ownership of water bodies generally falls into two categories: open access waters and closed access waters. All water bodies that have a continuous flow of water throughout the year are managed as open access resources. The government collects no revenue from these and anyone may use them. All other water bodies, i.e. those which are only seasonally connected to rivers and canals are available for lease-hold and known as closed access waters. Generally, lease is issued for 3 year period for the purpose of aquaculture. The lease is given to the highest bidder through auction process. The Ministry of Water Resources through several of its agencies, particularly the Water Resources Planning Organization (WARPO) and the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), are responsible for all other forms of water management in Bangladesh. The BWDB is principally responsible for implementation, operation and maintenance of water related projects, whilst WARPO is mandated to advice on policy, planning and regulation of water resources. The responsibility for control and abatement of water pollution falls to the DoE (Department of Environment) within the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF). DoE is mandated to set and enforce environmental regulations for all forms of pollution and media (air, water and soil). Specifically in relation to water pollution, DoE are responsible for: pollution control; setting water quality standards (WQS) for water use and discharge; defining environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedures; issuing environmental clearance permits; and declaring and protecting degraded ecosystems (UNEP, 2001). The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MoFL), through its Department of Fisheries (D0F), has overall responsibility for fisheries and aquaculture development, management and conservation. Its functions, which are both regulatory and development oriented, and the coordination of national policy in respect of fisheries, the prevention of fish disease, the conservation, management and development of fisheries resources, the management of fish farms and training and collection of information. 15

16 7 Environmental Law and Regulations The Environmental Conservation Act and Rules are in force for Bangladesh for quite a long time. There have been a number of acts and laws introduced environmental protection. However, the present available rules and regulations etc. not as comprehensive and extensive like those in western world. The Environmental Pollution Control Ordinance 1977 (Ordinance XIII of 1977) was the first official regulatory framework to provide for the control, prevention and abatement of pollution of the environment of Bangladesh. The ordinance was enacted on March 31, 1977 repealing the previous Water Pollution Control Ordinance, 1970 (E. P. Ordinance V of 190). When realizing the gradual degradation of the environment, the Government of Bangladesh upgraded the Environmental Pollution Control Ordinance In February, 1995 the Parliament passed the Environmental Conservation Act and it became enacted in June, 1995 repealing the previous Environmental Pollution control Ordinance To enforce the Act, government developed rules, which came into force in These rules are called Environmental Conservation Rules which focuses the role of Department of Environment and responsibility of industries. To enforce the Act, the government has established an organisation under Ministry of Environment and Forest. This organisation is known as Department of Environment and it is headed by a Director General. Reference: Abedin, M. N. (1997) Health and Population Sector: An Overview and Vision Papar for the Logical Farmework (Log-Frame) Workshop for the Fifth Health and Population Programme (HAPP-5) February Government of Bangledesh. BBS (2000) Report of Health and Demographic Survey (2000). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Dhaka, Bangladesh. BBS (2004) Fisheries Statistical yearbook Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) 2005 Bangladesh Apparel and Textile exposition, 29 September to October, Dhaka. Bangledesh. BBS (1993) Bangladesh Population Census, 1991, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Dhaka, Bangladesh. 16

17 MACH (2001) Hydrology Study Report Ullah, A.N. A., Clemmett, A, Chowdhury, N., Chadwick, M., Huq, T and Sultana, R (2006) Human health and Industrial Pollution Chowdhury, N and Clemett, A (2006) Industrial pollution and its threat to Mokesh Beel wetland in Kaliakoir, MACH Technical Paper 3. 17

18 Appendix 1 : Additional Information Kaliakair Upazilla at a Glance 18

19 Items Growth Rate (%) Decadal Annual 1. AREA In Sq. Km In Sq. mile HOUSEHOLDS 45,565 26, Rural 43,285 26, Urban 2, HOUSEHOLD SIZE (Dwelling Unit) Thana (-) (-) 1.93 Rural (-) (-) 1.93 Urban (-) (-) POPULATION Male 232, , Female 119,265 85, ,650 80, Rural 222, , Male 113,288 83, Female 109,253 79, Urban 10,374 2, Male 5,977 1, Female 4, DENSITY Per Sq. km Per Sq. mile 1,920 1, SEX RATIO (M/F) Thana Rural (-) 0.95 (-) 0.10 Urban (-) (-) LITERACY (7 Years & Over) Thana Male Female SCHOOL ATTENDANCE (5 to 24 Years 19

20 Thana 41,845 15, Male 24,472 10, Female 17,373 5, URBAN POPULATION (%) Geographic Unit Union 9 9 Mauza* Village Municipality - - Ward - - Mahalla - - Geology Most of the area falls within Pleistocene terrace of North Central region of Bangladesh. It is locally known as Madhupur tract. It is a semi rural area site and representative of Jamuna Flood plain. The river Turag divides the study area into two parts, north and south. Aowla and Mokesh Beel is located in the northern and southern side of the Turag River respectively. Topographically the eastern Kaliakair thana is a steep sided valley surrounded by many low-heights red soil hills make the area undulated. Two major land types are predominant, high and low land. Locally high land known as Chala and low land is known as Baid. Degraded forest and settlement primarily occupy high land. On the other hand Baid area is use mainly for agriculture. The western part of the Kaliakair upazilla and Mirzapur and Basail thana is more flat. Household size The average household size for the Upazilla is 5.1 persons, for rural area the size is same i.e. 5.1 and for urban area the size is small i.e The household size in dwelling, institution and other units are 5.1, 11.1 and 3.1` persons respectively. Electricity All the unions of the Upazilla have been brought under Rural Electrification Programme. According to the 1991 census, 13.37% of the total households and 11.83% of the dwelling households reported to have electricity connection in the entire Upazilla. Roads and highways 20

21 The main Dhaka Tangail highway passes through Kaliakair and new railroad is also constructed through Kaliakair. In the dry season, most of the area is accessible through these rural roads. However, country boat is widely use as a means of communication in monsoon season. Literacy The literacy (7 years and over) is 28.7% for both sexes, 37.1% for male and 19.8% for female. In case of urban area, it is 56.0% for both sexes, 63.2% for male and 44.9% for female which are higher as compared to the corresponding rates in rural area of 27.6% for both sexes, 35.9% for male and 19.0% for female. In the Upazilla, the literacy is highest i.e. 40.3% in Sreefaltali union and the lowest i.e. 14.2% in Fulbaria union. Sanitation: In Kaliakair upazilla, 9.64% of dwelling households have sanitary latrines with 8.38% in rural area and 42.16% in urban area. A total of 47.44% of the households have nonsanitary latrines with 47.65% in rural area and 41.91% in urban area. In this than, 42.93% of the households have no toilet facility at all. 21