Nearly 500 families breathing easier after closure of polluting factory in Habiganj
The factory belongs to MAAR (Maize Advance Argo Refineries) Limited, a dry starch manufacturing company in Habiganj. Photo: Mintu Deshwara
Residents near Ekhtiyarpur canal in Madhabpur upazila of Habiganj can now finally breathe a sigh of relief after a factory in the vicinity was shut down for polluting the environment with industrial waste.
There have been several incidents of people falling ill due to the stench from the pollution of Maar Limited s factory, which used to dump industrial waste in the canal that connects with Balbhadra, Kanai, Khasti and Meghna rivers, said Abdul Qayyum, a resident of the area.
Madhabpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Fatema-Tuj Johra sealed off the factory this afternoon, reports our Moulvibazar correspondent.
Deputy Commissioner s Representative Executive Magistrate Shamsuddin Mohammad Reza and Mominul Islam, inspector of Department of Environment (DoE), among others, were present.
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) earlier filed a writ petition with the High Court alleging that waste from MAAR Ltd was polluting the water and environment of the local Ekhtiyarpur canal.
On March 15, the High Court ordered the government to immediately stop operations of MAAR Limited for polluting environment at Shappur in Habiganj s Madhabpur upazila.
In response to a writ petition, the court asked the authorities concerned to assess the environmental and ecological damage caused by MAAR Ltd in the area and to submit the assessment report before this court in 60 days on receiving copy of the order.