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Toxic paper mill effluent badly pollutes Bogra river

Hasibur Rahman Bilu, Bogra
The water of the Nagor River flowing through Dupchanchia and Kahaloo upazilas of Bogra district has become badly polluted by untreated effluent from Azad Pulp and Paper Mill situated at Birgram in Kahaloo upazila.
Admitting the matter, Md Nazmul Haque, director of the Department of Environment, Rajshahi division, said over phone that the paper mill started production in mid-2007 without any environmental clearance certificate or Effluent Treatment Plant
(ETP).
When contacted, Md Abul Kalam Azad, proprietor of Azad Pulp and Paper Mill, and his business partner Md Shahinur Islam, however claimed that the mill authorities started production after receiving the environmental clearance certificate.
They also claimed that the management completed its ETP plant at a cost of Tk 50 lakh one year ago.
But junior chemist of Rajshahi Divisional Environmental Office in Bogra, Mizanur Rahman, who visited the mill recently, said over cell phone that he found
the ETP incomplete.
Nazmul Haque said, "After about two years of starting production, the mill authorities received an interim clearance certificate for one year on certain conditions. The term will expire this month. The certificate will be cancelled if the paper mill management fail to fulfil the conditions by the time.”
The Department of Environment in early April sent a letter to the mill authorities reminding them about the deadline of the certificate. They also sought an explanation why the mill was still polluting the river water.
In reply to the letter, the mill management on April 25 said the mill dumped effluent into the river as construction work of the ETP was yet to be completed, Nazmul Haque told this correspondent last month.
The mill authorities mentioned in the letter that 70 percent work for construction of the ETP had been completed by that time, he added.
There is also allegation that the mill management has been constructing the ETP without a design approved by the department.
The mill officials, however, denied the allegation.
Meanwhile, locals using the river water are frequently falling sick besides developing different types of skin diseases.
"Sometimes I receive patients who developed skin diseases including rash after coming in contact with the polluted water of the river," said Afzal Hossain Tarafder, Dupchanchia upazila health and family planning officer.
"I felt serious itching after getting into the river a few days ago,” said Abdul Hye, 47, of Bundishwar village of Kahaloo upazila.
"Fish and insects are found dead in about 20 kilometres of the river from Dupchanchia upazila Sadar to the downstream. The effluent from the mill has changed colour of the river water in last three and a half years," said Insan, 41, a resident of Kasimala village in the upazila.
Md Idris Ali, 43, of Sanjoypur village in the upazila, said, "People of both the sides generally avoid the river as contact of its polluted water makes one fall sick, especially due to skin diseases. Many children from both sides of the river are also suffering from different waterborne diseases following the river pollution."
Several people in Dupchanchia sadar told this correspondent that they are suffering from respiratory problems due to bad smell from the polluted river water.