Dhaka: Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan today called for strict enforcement of environmental laws and ensuring accountability in Bangladesh’s ship breaking industry. ‘The country will turn into a dumping ground of world’s hazardous waste if urgent reforms are not brought in this sector,’ she said while speaking at a workshop on the National Regulatory Framework for Ship Recycling and Hazardous Waste Management in Bangladesh at Hotel Intercontinental here.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the adviser highlighted the human and environmental costs of the industry, stating that the ship breaking industry should not be continued at the cost of human lives. She emphasized the need to prohibit ship breaking activities at the tide and ebb region in line with higher court directives, incorporating this decision into national policy.
Rizwana expressed her willingness to work with the Ministry of Industry to protect Bangladesh from becoming a toxic waste dumping station and to ensure the safety of workers. She emphasized that the directives of the High Court, upheld by the Supreme Court, must not be ignored.
The adviser pointed out the dangerous working conditions in the ship breaking industry, where workers face life-threatening hazards due to inadequate safety gear. Comparing it to Bangladesh’s garment sector, she noted that while foreign buyers ensure labor standards are met in garments, ship breaking owners evade legal responsibility for hazardous waste cleanup.
Emphasizing the issue of toxic materials embedded in ship structures, Rizwana stressed that Bangladesh lacks the capacity to manage these safely. She criticized weak regulations allowing hazardous waste dumping, highlighting instances of fraudulent waste declarations that enabled illegal imports.
Rizwana underscored the importance of credible legal regulations on waste declarations, warning that workers are often unaware of toxic risks. She advocated for signboards at ship breaking sites in multiple languages to warn workers of cancer risks.
She highlighted the “polluter pays” principle, arguing that waste generators must be held accountable. Most vessels arriving in Bangladesh originate from small island states but were originally owned by European companies, which evade responsibility through “flag of convenience” practices.
Rizwana questioned why European standards should differ when workers’ lives are at risk. She criticized the Ministry of Industry for permitting ship breaking despite environmental violations, revealing that certain yards operate without valid environmental clearance.
Concluding her remarks, Rizwana reaffirmed her commitment to preventing Bangladesh from becoming a hazardous waste dumping ground. She stressed that any legal framework must align with global safety and environmental standards and that High Court directives must be implemented to protect workers and the environment.
Adilur Rahman Khan, Adviser for the Ministry of Industry; Zakia Sultana, Secretary, Ministry of Industry; and H¥kon Arald Gulbrandsen, Ambassador of Norway to Bangladesh, also spoke on the occasion.