Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo spoke today during the Jatiya Sangsad session. Photo: Video Screenshot

SANGSAD BHABAN, April 15, 2026 (BSS) - Environment, Forest and Climate Change 
Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo today expressed his optimism that Bangladesh would 
witness a significant improvement in waste management within the next year.

Such improvement would help protect rivers, canals and other water bodies 
from pollution, he said.

"Although our government is a new one, we are fully aware of this issue and 
hope that within the next year you will see a significant positive change in 
waste management to prevent pollution in rivers, canals and beels," he told 
the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) today.

The minister made the remarks while replying to a question following a notice 
raised by treasury bench lawmaker SM Rafiqul Islam (Gazipur-3) under Rule 71 
of the Rules of Procedure.

With Speaker Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, Bir Bikram, in the chair, Mintoo 
said pollution is not limited to industrial activities alone, but occurs in 
multiple ways, contributing to the overall environmental pollution in the 
country.

He said there is already a proposal under consideration to establish a waste 
recycling plant for waste management at Amin Bazar. "We also need to fix 
waste management systems in every town across the country," the minister 
added.

He noted that the government has been continuing its efforts to control 
pollution in rivers, canals and wetlands by ensuring installation of effluent 
treatment plants (ETPs) in factories.

"At the same time, we are encouraging the private sector in various ways so 
that solid waste is properly processed and can be used to produce energy or 
bio-fertiliser," Mintoo said.

In his question, the BNP lawmaker SM Rafiqul Islam warned that environmental 
pollution is not only threatening public health but also reducing 
agricultural production, damaging crops and plants.

He said untreated liquid waste discharged into canals and wetlands is 
contaminating water sources, including groundwater accessed through 
tubewells, leading to various diseases such as cancer.

Earlier, in his notice, the lawmaker sought to know what steps the government 
would take to protect the environment, citing alarming pollution levels from 
industrial liquid waste in Gazipur-3.

The environment minister delivered a statement following the notice, saying 
that there are a total of 877 industrial units in Gazipur-3 that have 
clearances from the Department of Environment (DoE). Of them, 129 industries 
discharge liquid wastes.

"All these establishments have effluent treatment plants to treat wastewater 
before discharge," he said, adding that the Department of Environment is 
regularly monitoring them both physically and online to ensure untreated 
wastewater is not released directly into water bodies.

Among the 129 liquid waste-emitting industries, 121 have already installed IP 
cameras for real-time monitoring by the authorities while installation in the 
remaining eight is underway, he further said.

Besides, the Minister said all such industries have been given a deadline 
until June 2027 to obtain approval and implement zero discharge plans.