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Study on Environmental Management and

Performance of Central Effluent Treatment Plant at Dhaka Export Processing Zone

Dr. Engr. Md. Zahid Husain Khan1, Md. Masud Alom2

Abstract: The Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) is the official organ of the Government of Bangladesh to promote, attract and facilitate foreign investment in the Export Processing Zones (EPZ). The primary objective of an EPZ is to provide special areas where potential investors would find a congenial investment climate free from cumbersome procedures maintaining all environmental aspects accurately. The export processing industries in Bangladesh has experienced an unprecedented growth over the last three decades and become a fast growing industry in Bangladesh. This industry plays a vital role in the country in terms of export earnings, employment generation, poverty alleviation and empowering women. For development of this sector, Bangladesh needs to emphasize on the factory working environment, social issues, labor relations and compliances with codes of conduct. In order to minimize environmental pollution due to small and medium scale industries in DEPZ cleaner production technologies and formation of waste minimization circles are being encouraged. Besides, collective treatment at a centralized facility, known as the CETP is considered as a viable treatment solution to overcome the constraints associated with effluent treatment in small to medium enterprises. A best environmental management practice (BEMP) is defined as the most effective way to implement the environmental management system by organizations in a relevant sector that can result in best environmental performance under given economic and technical conditions. This study serves to bring environmental best practices from an international perspective to DEPZ enterprises as well as highlight those enterprises within the EPZ that already exhibit some best practice techniques within their operations. The study report is based in part on environmental survey that was conducted at the 12 selected enterprises and practices that were observed there.

Key words: Environment, Management, Performance, Practices, Monitoring, Pollution and Effluent.

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Introduction

Bangladesh is traditionally an agriculture based country. Simultaneously this is also true that Bangladesh is on the way to be known as an industrialized country in the coming years. The initiative for such industrialization started in 1978 with the readymade garments (RMG) sector and in recent years expanded its area in jute. Among a good number of factors that contributed to the growth of this industrialization to adopt environmental management practice because of its link with not only legal issues but also with market

Dr. Engr. Md. Zahid Husain Khan1, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, World University of Bangladesh, Dhaka. Email: drzhusain@yahoo.com

Md. Masud Alom2, Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering, World University of Bangladesh, Dhaka. Email: masud_ruet50@yahoo.com

demand and stakeholders proposal. At the same time less productivity and high lead time in comparison to other
competing nations despite relatively low wages are the consequences of a lack of proper compliance.
In order to stimulate rapid economic growth of the country particularly through industrialization, the Government has adopted an open door policy to attract foreign investment in Bangladesh. The export processing industries in Bangladesh has experienced an unprecedented growth over the last three decades and become a fast growing industry in Bangladesh. The industry plays a vital role in the economy in terms of export earnings, employment generation, poverty alleviation and empowering the woman. For development of this sector, Bangladesh needs to emphasize on the factory working environment, social issues, labor relations and compliances with codes of conduct. In order to minimize environmental pollution due to the small and medium scale industries in Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ) cleaner production technologies and formation of waste minimization circles are being encouraged in Bangladesh. Besides, collective treatment at a centralized facility known as the Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) is considered as a viable treatment solution to overcome the constraints associated with effluent treatment in small to medium enterprises. Till 2011, only one CETP at DEPZ was in operation having a capacity of 43000 cum/day. The concept of CETP was adopted to achieve end of the pipe treatment of combined wastewater to avail the benefit

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of scale of operation. In addition, the CETP also facilitates in reduction of number of discharge points in an industrial estate for better enforcement and also to make skilled man power available for proper treatment of effluent.

Methodology

The nature of this study is descriptive. So instead of doing any survey or using sampling method observation and selective questionnaire method is used to complete this qualitative research. Most of the necessary information has been collected by physical visit, personal investigation with employees. Both descriptive and inferential research were conducted to identify environmental compliance practices in Dhaka EPZ industries such as sound pollution, noise pollution, air pollution, wastewater, occupation health and safety, effluent treatment, sludge management, in-house working environment, employee benefits and environmental management policies in DEPZ industries. The organizational part of this study is mainly based on secondary data. These data were gathered from different published materials, reports, service rules, annual reports, prospectus and websites.

Dhaka EPZ at a Glance

An export processing zone (EPZ) is defined as a territorial or economic enclave in which goods may
be imported and manufactured and reshipped with a reduction in duties and or minimal intervention by custom officials (World Bank, 1999). EPZ provides:
Plots/ Factory building in custom bonded area, Infrastructural facilities, Administrative facilities, Fiscal and non fiscal incentives.
Location:
Table-1: ECC validity status of selected enterprises in DEPZ.
Located at Savar, 35 km from Dhaka city centre, 25 km from Hazrat Shahjalal (R) International airport, 304 km From Chittagong sea port.
Type of investment in DEPZ:
100% foreign ownership= 205 Nos. (58%)
100% local venture= 98 Nos. (28%)
Joint venture= 49 Nos. (14%)
Profile:
Zone Area= 361 Acres.
Number of industrial plots= 102. Size of each plot= 2000 sqm.
Total standard factory building = 17 Nos.
Space of standard factory building= 108,850 sqm. Tariff= US$ 2.75/sqm/month.

Utility Services

Water supply: Own water supply system at a tariff Tk. 22.43
/cum
Gas supply: From Titas gas transmission and distribution Co. Ltd. At a tariff Tk. 6.45 /cum
Power supply: 11 KV, 3 phase, 50 cycles per second at tariff
Tk. 6.11 /kWh

Results and Discussion

Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC):
Orange B and Red category 12 industries were surveyed and found a regular practice of renewing their ECC annually from department of environment (DOE) as shown in table 1. All these enterprises are maintaining an EMP which is an integral requirement for obtaining an ECC from DOE.

Source: Field Survey, 2014.
Table-2: Concentration level of effluents of different industries.

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Source: Field Survey, 2014.
Table-3: Status of Sludge Concentration.

Source: Field Survey, 2014.
Table-4: Air Emission and control status.

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Source: Field Survey, 2014.
Table-5: Sound level status.

Source: Field Survey, 2014.
Table- 6: Status of Solid Waste Management.

Source: Field Survey, 2014.
Table-7: Status of Hazardous Waste Management.

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Source: Field Survey, 2014.
Table-8: Status of Sewage Concentration

Source: Field Survey, 2014.

Environmental Monitoring Report in DEPZ Industries

It is badly required to understand more thoroughly the actual
condition in the context of environmental issues that required compiling the management desire, monitoring and also enforcement. Observations from field survey for a period of
three months from March, 2014 to May, 2014 are presented in
table 9.
Table-9: Environmental compliance practices and monitoring in DEPZ industries.

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Source: Field Survey, 2014.

Conclusions and Recommendations

With a view to check and prevent air, water and groundwater pollution arising out of industrial areas following are some of the recommendations made based on the study and practical problems of existing rules and regulations.
i) Adequate steps should be taken to fully comply with the Government standard to prevent air, water and groundwater pollution.
ii) All the required anti pollution measures to be installed should conform to comply the effluent and emission standards prescribed by the concerned Government agencies.
iii) In the Environment Protection Act 1996 and Environment
Protection Regulation 1997 there is no clear statement to carry out the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) and/or Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) while expanding the capacity of production and relocating such industries except only when new establishment is required. This provides great loopholes to the opportunists irresponsible to environment conservation.
iv) Government should act immediately to start compliance monitoring program of the first generation standard so that after some time advance generation standard could be established. The pollution control certification should be granted according to the EPA and EPR provisions.
v) The pollution control certification procedure should be effectively implemented which must be based on the complete environmental examination of all the pollution sources and laboratory analysis. A third party monitoring mechanism including the representative of the local bodies and civil society will be recommended.
vi) There is an urgent need of recruiting relevant personals
with related academic qualification in right place and come up with standard laboratory, more stringent policies, standards and regulation of pollution control coupled with plan of actions to achieve it.

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References

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