Ctg sugar mill served DoE notice

S Alam Refined Sugar Industries Ltd has been polluting the Karnaphuli river at Ichanagar in Karnaphuli upazila, according to the Department of Environment (DoE).

A team from DoE has found the sugar mill releasing its effluents straight into the river, resulting in high toxicity of water, as per sample examined by the department’s laboratory.

Chattogram DoE served a notice on the mill authorities after it visited the factory on Sunday. The DoE also asked them to appear in a hearing to explain as to why they should not be fined.

At the hearing yesterday, the mill authorities sought one month for explanation, which was approved by the DoE.

Muazzom Hossain, director of DoE in Chattogram, told The Daily Star that they found the ETP (effluent treatment plant) of the sugar mill inactive while the authorities resorted to a “clandestine pipe” to discharge the untreated effluents directly into the river.

He said the factory is just 100 metres away from the river.

“DoE laboratory examined the water sample and found DO (dissolved oxygen) COD (chemical oxygen demand), SS (suspended solid) far above the standard level,” he said.

S Alam Refined Sugar Industries authorities refused to make any comment.