Forty-one tanneries out of 154 are yet to commence operation at Savar Tannery Estate due to various reasons including unfinished construction work, according to Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC).
Of them, 15 to 20 tanneries are scheduled to go into operation before this Eid-ul-Azha while the remaining tanneries will be able to commence operation by 2018, according to the Bangladesh Tanners Association (BTA).
At present, only 40 tanneries are fully operational while the rest of the tanneries are partly operational.
During a recent visit, the FE correspondent found that the construction work of a number of the tanneries is still incomplete.
Even untreated chemical waste was found at the estate due to leak on the pipe. Liquid waste was polluting the Dhaleshwari river as the Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) was not working round the clock. Even chemicals were not being used to treat liquid waste due to higher cost.
Jiangsu Lingzhi Environmental Protection Co Ltd, a Chinese company, which built the CETP, is currently operating the plant.
However, the sector insiders alleged that although the tanneries were shifted to Savar to make them environment-friendly, they are not fully compliant with laws.
The solid waste management system has not yet been introduced, solid waste is thrown into an open place, thus producing overpowering stench.
The workers' union leaders claimed that tannery workers were not getting due facilities as per the labour law.
According to the law, the tanners must ensure primary healthcare services at each factory, but it is still a far cry, they added.
As the workers have to use heavy machines and various chemicals, they often fall sick, but there is no hospital adjacent to the estate. Two workers died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital after they fell sick while working at the factories, they added.
In April 2017, the government shut 222 tannery industrial units at Hazaribagh and forced them to relocate to Savar.
Tannery Workers Union President Abul Kalam Azad told the FE that 30 per cent of the workers became jobless after the tannery relocation to Savar.
Some 20,000 to 25,000 workers were directly employed at tanneries in the city's Hazaribagh area, he said.
He also urged the government to ensure accommodation facilities for the workers as soon as possible.
BTA general secretary Md Shakawat Ullah told the FE that leather export dropped by 21 per cent in the last fiscal year.
The industry lost Tk 50 billion due to the tannery relocation. But the government gave only Tk 26 million as compensation, he added.
"The government is asking us to bear the operational cost of the CETP. But we are already burdened with huge bank loan. Even are not getting fresh bank loan," he said.
"We want fresh bank loan and incentives from the government for next five years. If the sector gets support from the government, we will be able to achieve a $ 5.0 billion export target by 2021," he added.
"It has been difficult to compete in the international market as the demand for Bicast leather (also known as bycast leather) has been increasing due to less cost comparing to real leather," he said.
At present, he said, the tannery estate faced no water, gas and electricity crises and is ready to process over 7.0 million rawhides ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, the second biggest religious festival of Muslims.
The association plans to create 40,000 job employments in this sector by 2019, he hoped.
Chairman of Bangladesh Hide and Skin Merchants Association Delwar Hossain said they were in difficulties as the tanners were not paying their outstanding dues for last three-four years.
When contacted, an official of BSCIC told the FE that the CETP is now running well. On an average, it is treating 91.93 per cent of waste right now, he said preferring anonymity.
On an average, he said, the amount of treated effluent reaches as much as 22,960 cubic metres per day and the peak value for inlet effluent hits 27,575 m3.
The CETP could treat an increased amount of tannery waste ahead of Eid, a BSCIC official said. The official also admitted that there was no solid waste management system right now.
The leather industry started its journey in Narayanganj district before the Second World War. It was relocated to Hazaribagh from Narayanganj in 1960.
Last year the High Court ordered to shift the tannery from Hazaribagh to Hemayetpur in Savar on about 200 acres of land with the help of BSCIC. There are a total of 205 plots at the estate.
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