Thousands at health risk as rock crushers pollute air

A staggering 300 rock crushing machines are operating round the clock in Dimla upazila under the district, putting around 50 thousand people of ten villages at serious health hazard due to air and sound pollution.

On a visit the area, it was noticed that people of Sutibari, Dakkhin Kharibari, Dalia, Motir Bazar, Kalirdanga, Chowdhury Para, Khaga Kharibari, Tunir Haat, Purbo Satnai Colony, and Tepa Kharibari villages are highly affected due to operation of unauthorised rock crushing machines.

Ten to twenty workers are engaged for each machine, working hard from 8:00am to 6:00pm for daily wage of Tk 200.

These people, many of whom are women, work without wearing safety equipment like masks, spectacles, gloves, shoes, and special dresses.

Female workers Zohura Khatun, 40, and Naila Begum, 35, of Purbo Satnai village said they are suffering from respiratory and hearing problems but they have to work there due to scarcity of job in Teesta char area from where they come.

"I spend Tk 50 to 60 to buy medicines for my treatment," said Shamsher Ali of Dakkhin Kharibari village.

Local residents are also badly suffering as they have to inhale the polluted air mixed with dust and bear with continuous thundering sound of the machines.

"Even floating rock dust gets mixed with our foods, making them disgusting," said housewife Arjina Begum, who lives with family near rock crushing machines at Sutibari village.

Civil surgeon of Nilphamari Dr Abdur Rashid said rock dust floating in the air enters into lungs, causing deadly asthma, tuberculosis, cancer and silicosis diseases and eye irritation leading to blindness while continuous high frequency sound harms the hearing system.

"According to our information, over 300 machines are engaged in crushing rocks extracted illegally from the Teesta River, causing air and sound pollution. On several occasions we submitted memorandum to the upazila nirbahi officer but to no effect," said Golam Mostofa, Dimla upazila convener of 'Save Teesta, Save Environment', movement.

Noor Islam, headmaster of Jatua Khata High School in Dakkhin Kharibari village, said students and teachers of the school are badly affected by rock dust and harsh sound of machines.

"Following my complaint, the local union parishad chairman issued an order not to run the machines during school hours. But the order was followed for only a few days," he added.

Admitting the problem of the pollution due to stone crushing, Ziarul Islam, owner of a rock crushing machine at Tunirhat village, said they would shift the machines if the administration makes a separate crushing zone on empty khas land away from any locality.

Rezaul Karim, UNO of Dimla, said, "I have directed the machine owners to ensure workers' safety. We are looking for khas lands to set up a crushing zone with safely arrangements."