Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo on Wednesday expressed optimism that Bangladesh would witness a significant improvement in waste management within the next year, helping protect rivers, canals and other water bodies from pollution.
“Though our government is a new one, we are fully aware of this issue and hope that within the next year you will see significant positive change in waste management to prevent pollution in rivers, canals and beels,” he told Parliament.
The minister made the remarks while replying to a question following a notice raised by treasury bench lawmaker SM Rafiqul Islam (Gazipur-3) under Rule 71 of the Rules of Procedure.
Focusing on environmental degradation, Mintoo said pollution is not limited to industrial activities alone but occurs in multiple ways, contributing to the overall environmental pollution in the country.
He said there is already a proposal under consideration to establish a waste recycling plant for waste management at Amin Bazar.
“We also need to fix waste management systems in every town across the country,” he added.
The minister said the government has been continuing its efforts to control pollution in rivers, canals and wetlands by ensuring installation of effluent treatment plants (ETPs) in factories.
“At the same time, we are encouraging the private sector in various ways so that solid waste is properly processed and can be used to produce energy or bio-fertiliser,” he said.
In his question, the BNP lawmaker warned that environmental pollution is not only threatening public health but also reducing agricultural production, damaging crops and plants.
He said untreated liquid waste discharged into canals and wetlands is contaminating water sources, including groundwater accessed through tubewells, leading to various diseases such as cancer.
He stressed that installing effluent treatment plants should be mandatory for all industries, alongside strict monitoring mechanisms to ensure compliance.
Earlier, in his notice, the ruling party lawmaker sought to know what steps the government would take to protect the environment, citing alarming pollution levels from industrial liquid waste in Gazipur-3.
The environment minister delivered a statement following the notice, saying that there are a total of 877 industrial units in Gazipur-3 that have clearances from the Department of Environment.
Of them, 129 industries discharge liquid wastes.
“All these establishments have effluent treatment plants to treat wastewater before discharge,” he said, adding that the Department of Environment is regularly monitoring them both physically and online to ensure untreated wastewater is not released directly into water bodies.
He further said that among the 129 liquid waste-emitting industries, 121 have already installed IP cameras for real-time monitoring by the authorities, while installation in the remaining eight is underway.
Besides, all such industries have been given a deadline until June 2027 to obtain approval and implement zero discharge plans, the minister added.