Tannery not to blame for odour, workers claim - leatherbiz: Leading ne Leatherbiz

News

Tannery not to blame for odour, workers claim

15/09/2010
In the latest in a series of actions against Jinja-based tanning company Leather Industries of Uganda, the country’s National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) has forced the tannery’s closure by disconnecting the facility from public sewer lines. The company has long been accused of being responsible for a strong odour in the town.

However, in two weeks since the NWSC forced the tannery’s closure, problems with the odour have persisted, leading representative of the leather production company to claim it has been singled out unfairly.

The factory has been discharging its primary treated effluent through the NWSC sewer lines since first setting up for business in 1976. The waste is then deposited in lagoons on the shores of Lake Victoria for secondary treatment.

Although Leather Industries of Uganda is not the only tannery in the area, NWSC did appear to single the company out last month when it blocked access to the sewer lines; local media have said this happened after intense pressure from local politicians. The move put 300 employees out of work.

But the Uganda Manufacturers Association has questioned the action. Its executive director, Sebaggala Kigozi, has written to his counterpart at NWSC to express concern that the sewer disconnection happened before NWSC had fully established the cause of the odour problem. Local media have reported that, weeks after the closure, the problem persists and employees at the plant have claimed this is proof that Leather Industries of Uganda was not to blame in the first place.


Leatherbiz.com cannot be held responsible for content if the language setting is changed from English.

The translations provided by Google Translate are automated and therefore might not be accurate and may contain incorrect, offensive or misleading language. We offer this facility as a guide only.