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In the context of environmental sustainability, the industrial sector has a major role to play, especially through efficient effluent treatment. Though this is mandatory by law, compliance remains largely disregarded. Untreated chemical wastes, which often contain heavy metals, are discharged into rivers, canals, wetlands and even agricultural lands, severely degrading them and causing health risks to people. This remains a challenge which the government intends to address seriously. The planned relocation of high risk industries like tanneries and cloth dying plants from the city of Dhaka to areas where the impact will be minimized is a step in right direction.
Shortage of energy supplies is hampering the industrial expansion in the country. Since power is not available in much of the rural areas and is subject to load shedding where available, setting up of industries is discouraged. Also, industries in and around the urban centres of Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna and Rajshahi face power shortages. The government has initiated plans for increasing power generation in phases. On- shore exploration for gas is being intensifies; and offshore exploration is planned. Very recently, some oil reserve has been found in two places, the estimated reserve, if extracted, is enough to meet the total national demand for two years. But,
when that will be on stream is still not clear. In order to increase the economic growth in the country, poverty eradication and development efforts should concentrate on the long neglected areas in addition to the four cities mentioned above. Rapid industrialization in these areas will provide jobs to people of these areas, improve the lives and livelihoods of the people and curb rural-urban migration. For this to happen, infrastructural support including uninterrupted electricity supply incentives are necessary, which is a challenging proposition but one that has to be addressed seriously.
