Like previous years, the Joypurhat Sugar Mills has continued dumping industrial wastes without refining, which cause much sufferings to some 50,000 people of 20 villages in Joypurhat Sadar, Khetlal and Akkelpur upazilas of Joypurhat.
Blackish and stinking water is almost unusable and the pollution threatens aquatic life including fishes in Shree and Tulshiganga rivers, and cultivation of lands in the area.
During a recent visit to the areas, the Dhaka Tribune found that the untreated water was being dumped in the rivers through a canal that flows via Tajurmore and Sahebpara areas.
In many places of the canal, it was found that the canal has become a good source for breeding of mosquito.
Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, many people in the area said the mosquito menace goes beyond control and add salt to their vexation during the sugarcane crushing season.
“We have to suffer a lot for four months in a year, when the mills go in production,” said Lokman Hossain, a farmer of Mistiripara which located on the bank of Shree river in Joypurhat sadar.
According to the residents of the area, the stinking water released by the sugar mills is hampering their social lives also.
“As the crushing of sugarcane begins at the mills, I feel like I cannot stay in my home due to bad smells of the water. Our relatives do not want to visit our homes due to bad smells of the water,” said Abdul Malek of the same area.
The Joypurhat Sugar Mills, one of the largest sugar mill of the country, was established in 1963
without installing a water treatment plant. Since then, the mill has continued dumping of industrial waste and untreated water causing harm to the environment.
Although the authorities of the mills have dug a 6000 meter long canal in the southern side of the mills to release some water safely, it has brought no benefit to reduce the sufferings of the people.
Farmers need to cross the river by walking in the toxic water of Shree river, which cause various diseases in their bodies.
With the use of the water, crops in the land are destroyed, they said.
Abdul Wadud, an assistant teacher of Zipur Primary School, said the school is located on the bank of Shreepur river which carries stinking water.
The number of attendance of students is reduced during the four months of sugarcane crushing season, he said.
“Even, we can not stay at the school because of the bad smells of the water,” he added.
Once the river was abundant of fishes. But in recent years, fishes have become scarce due to untreated effluent dumped in the river, said Abbas Uddin, a resident of Rajkand village in Akkelpur upazila.
Despite repeated demands placed by the district coordination committee to install an effluent plant, the authorities have continued dumping of the untreated effluent, said Ratan Kumar, general secretary of Joypur Press Club.
In January last year, a letter was sent to the authorities of mills requesting that they stop polluting the environment, they have not taken any initiative in this regard, he said.
Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Abud Salam, managing director of Joypurhat Sugar Mills, claimed that effluent released from the mills do not cause any harm to the environment.
“It is true that the waste released by the mill is filthy. But it is not harmful,” he claimed.
A team from Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology has recently visited the site for installing a effluent treatment plant. The plant would be installed after finalising its design and approval of authorities concerned, he added.
