B'desh factories ordered shut to save key river

Dhaka: Bangladesh's high court has ordered the shutdown of 231 factories that have contributed to Dhaka's main river becoming one of the world's most polluted, a lawyer said Tuesday.

The country is crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers, but a recent industrial boom, including the emergence of the world's second biggest garment industry, has prompted officials to turn a blind eye to the industrial waste they dump into rivers.

In a landmark decision hailed by activists, the court Monday ordered the authorities to take immediate action against the 231 factories including dyeing and rubber plants and tanneries dumping effluent into the Buriganga.

"The court asked them to disconnect all utilities including electricity, gas and water supplies to these factories," lawyer Manzil Murshid, who filed the public interest litigation, said.

"This order will go a long way to save the Buriganga from an ecological disaster," he said.

The Buriganga connects the capital with the southern coastal districts through a network of rivers.