Bangladesh intensifies action against illegal lead recycling while advancing a national strategy, highlighting urgent health risks, environmental damage and the need for systemic solutions, safer alternatives and stronger regulation.
Bangladesh is intensifying its fight against illegal lead acid battery recycling, taking urgent steps to protect public health, children, workers and the environment. Authorities demolished hazardous factories in Tangail, Shariatpur and Gaibandha that had exposed communities and farmland to toxic lead pollution. While these actions demonstrate institutional accountability, experts emphasize that lasting change requires systemic solutions.
On April 9, enforcement teams in Mahishbathan of Mirzapur Upazila, Tangail demolished a lead acid battery recycling unit and a charcoal production facility relying on uncontrolled wood burning. Both posed severe risks to public health and the environment, particularly for children living nearby. The operation was coordinated by the Upazila Administration, the Department of Environment and local law enforcement. Experts stress that enforcement must be paired with a just transition approach, supporting affected workers, investing in safer technologies and raising community awareness.
Earlier, on April 7, a mobile court in Mahishkandi village, Bhedarganj sub-district, Shariatpur demolished another illegal lead recycling unit that had repeatedly violated regulations and operated at night. Local communities, farmland and livestock had been exposed to toxic lead. On April 6 in Gobindaganj, Gaibandha, the “Three Star” factory was sealed after illegally melting old batteries despite prior fines and shutdown orders. The owner, Md. Belal Hossain, lacked legal permits and was fined BDT 200,000. Seven workers present at the site were initially detained but later released. Assistant Director Uttam Kumar of the Department of Environment and local police supported the operations, with strict instructions to prevent the factories from reopening without authorization.
While these enforcement measures are vital, broader systemic solutions are essential. In February, Bangladesh unveiled a final draft of a national strategy and action plan to eliminate lead poisoning by 2035. The plan focuses on stricter regulation, safer recycling and coordinated measures to protect children, workers and communities. Activists are now urging formal approval.
Bangladesh faces one of the world’s highest burdens of lead poisoning, a largely preventable crisis affecting children and workers in informal sectors. In Bangladesh, an estimated 36 million children, nearly 60 percent of the child population, suffer from elevated blood lead levels, making it the fourth most lead-impacted country globally. National estimates indicate that this exposure is linked to the loss of 20 million IQ points and an estimated 140,000 adult cardiac deaths annually. Combined health and productivity losses reach six to nine percent of the country’s GDP. Experts warn that without urgent coordinated action, lead contamination will continue to strain healthcare systems and undermine sustainable development in one of the world’s most densely populated countries.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in partnership with UNICEF Bangladesh, convened a stakeholder consultation at the Department of Environment to review the near-final draft of the National Strategy for a Lead-Free Bangladesh and its Multi-Year Action Plan (2025–2035). Government officials, international researchers and civil society representatives discussed regulating lead-based paints, unauthorized battery recycling, contaminated cookware, industrial products and the growing flow of e-waste from battery-powered vehicles.
Presentations included ongoing research under the Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution project, which seeks to reduce lead contamination from illegal recycling. Participants explored circular management of used lead-acid batteries and discussed interventions to improve regulation, monitoring and safe recycling practices.
The consultation was chaired by Dr. Fahmida Khanam, Additional Secretary of the Ministry, with Senior Secretary Mohammad Raihan Kawsar as chief guest. Key participants included Mitali Das, Country Director of Pure Earth Bangladesh, Henrik Pachini, Economics Affairs Officer at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and Professor Yon Kim from Stanford University. Senior officials from the Department of Environment, including Director General Dr. Nurun Nahar and Additional Director General Md. Ziaul Haque, also attended, alongside directors of monitoring, laboratory and planning departments.
Experts emphasized that illegal lead recycling is not merely an environmental concern. It is a public health challenge, a children’s rights issue and a question of environmental justice. Coordinated actions in Tangail, Shariatpur and Gaibandha show that accountability is possible when authorities act. But systemic solutions are essential, including strong monitoring to prevent illegal factories from reopening, provision of safe and regulated recycling alternatives, just transition programs for affected workers, community awareness campaigns on the risks of lead exposure and accountability across all stages of battery production and recycling.
Bangladesh’s enforcement actions, together with the pending national strategy, signal progress, but experts stress that protecting communities, workers and the environment requires sustained action and systemic change to ensure a safer, healthier and more sustainable future.
Sohanur Rahman, executive coordinator of YouthNet Global, said, “Immediate enforcement alone will not solve the problem. We need stronger national action, safe alternatives for workers and meaningful inclusion of communities and youth in shaping solutions. Accountability must be paired with sustainable measures. We can shut down factories, but without just transition, community engagement, safer livelihoods and national strategies, the crisis will continue.”
