Assessment of Hexavalent Chromium Pollution in Buriganga and Dhaleshwari River Waterbodies Adjacent toTannery Estates in Bangladesh

Abstract

Recently, in Bangladesh, all tannery industries have beenrelocated to a new location exclusively established for leather processing industries with modern manufacturing facilities and effluent treatment plants with standard probations. Effluents generated from the tannery industries are now being disposed of into the surrounding river waterbodies. In this study, our goal was to investigate the presence of chemical contaminantslike hexavalent chromium (퐶푟6+) in the water bodies surrounding tannery industries and to understand the possible role played by the tannery effluents in contaminating the river waterbodies with 퐶푟6+. Result analysis revealed the presence of an amount of 퐶푟6+(ranging from 0.01푚푔/퐿to 3.54푚푔/퐿) in the surrounding water bodies, which was far above the maximum permissible limit of 퐶푟6+(0.05푚푔/퐿for surface water), set by the Environmental Protection Agency. It is, therefore, plausible to assume that effluents from the tanneries play an important role in hexavalentchromium contamination of water bodies surrounding tannery industries.