Industrialisation has been rapid in Bangladesh during the last decade, particularly in the sectors of leather, pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals. However, these industries are discharging and dumping their wastes and effluents without treatment into nearby water bodies. Tanning - one of the oldest industries in the country - contributes to a great extent. Most tanneries are in Dhaka, beside the River Buriganga into which they flush their waste water. Studies have found high levels of pollution at several points in the river. Macrophytes in the river absorb various amounts of nutrients and pollutants, but the macrophytes are then eaten by livestock or humans. Other studies have measured heavy metal species in soils and plants in the tannery areas that have been affected by tannery waste. In grasses, Cr accumulates to concentrations exceeding the limits set by health authorities, and the yields and performance of rice and wheat are reduced.
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