Chemical warehouses need to be relocated without delay
Bangladesh witnessed one of the most disastrous industrial accidents in the form of the Chittagong chemical depot fire
The increasing industrialization of our economy means that more and more dedicated space will become necessary for commercial activity. While past governments have done an admirable job setting up dedicated zones such as EPZs and hi-tech parks, one of the more stark failures has been the continued existence of chemical warehouses in the capital’s residential areas, with Old Dhaka in particular.
Chemical warehouses in residential areas are especially risky due to their inherent nature as fire hazards -- it has been less than 15 years since the Nimtoli tragedy, a chemical fire that resulted in at least 124 lives being claimed. While the previous government launched numerous initiatives to relocate warehouses belonging to plastic, chemical, electronic, and other related industries away from the locality, most of these initiatives have yet to pan out, leaving Old Dhaka a veritable powder keg to this dayAccording to a recent Daily Star report, the authorities concerned have yet to even update the list of chemical warehouses in this part of the capital city, while a Dhaka South city Corporation survey from more than five years ago found close to 2,000 chemical warehouses in Old Dhaka, 98% of which are considered “moderately risky.”This is a dire situation, and should be considered a higher priority for the administration.
The interim government needs to expedite the completion of projects such as the Chemical Industrial Park, which has already been granted a one-year extension, while relocation of these warehouses to a temporary arrangement can be considered as an ad hoc measure.It was less than three years ago that Bangladesh witnessed one of the most disastrous industrial accidents in the form of the Chittagong chemical depot fire. While the loss of life was far too great by itself, the mind simply reels from the notion of the incident occurring in a densely packed residential area such as Old Dhaka.
We need a comprehensive industrial safety framework to prevent such disasters, and the first step towards that should be to relocate chemical warehouses away from cities.
