Health condition of Textile workers: A study in Gazipur Industrial zone

Abstract

Environmental elements air, water, soil, more other things are vital and integral resources for the environment. Water is an essential component of the environment, another name for this water is life. The existence of life without water cannot be imagined. In our daily life, we use water for various purposes; we use a lot of water for various household chores as well as industrial works. Directly and indirectly, water resources are playing an important role in our economic and social development. One of the biggest water consumable industry in Bangladesh is Textile industry. “The industrial sectors of Bangladesh (e.g. textile, tannery, steel, paper, etc.) consume about 9,500,000 m3 of groundwater (about 98% of water supply) daily where the textile sector consume 4,013,000 m3 of groundwater”. The textile industry is one of the main driving forces of Bangladesh's economy. The textile industry contributes greatly to the growth of Bangladesh's GDP. But economic development alone cannot be called the overall development of a state or a country. Inaddition to economic development, the overall development of the people and the environment is essential. Different types of chemicals are used in different processes of the textile industry, from which different waste products are produced; Part of which is made reusable and part is released into the environment following the standards of the Department of Environment. The standards of the Department of Environment have been set in such a way that they do not pose any obstacle to the ecology of the environment. Textile industries of Bangladesh start business with clearance from Department of Environment and many other concerned ministries. If the textile industries were managed properly according to the rules of the Department of Environment, then we would not have to worry so much about the environmental situation today. At present, the ecosystem of certain regions of Bangladesh is being severely disrupted. One of these areas is Gazipur district. There are about 1773 small and big different types of factories in this district out of which about 1024 are textile and garments industry. It is almost 57.75% of total number industry in Gazipur district. These textile industries are upsetting the balance of the environment by releasing different types of chemicals into the environment. But the owners of the textile industries say they are following the rules of the Environment Department. So the question is how the balance of the environment is being destroyed? We have tried to know this matter here and also I have tried to know the consequences on the nearby water bodies. We hope Bangladesh government and people will benefit from this research.