Prof Dr. Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder :
Many coal-power projects in Bangladesh have been abandoned. Continuing coal-plant pollution in this densely populated delta threatens human life, according to a statement by Bangladesh’s Poribesh Andolon, who calls for an end to coal-power development. Bangladesh has cancelled ten proposed coal-fired power facilities due to environmental concerns. The China-backed Patuakhai and Maheshkhali power plants, each with 1,320 MW capacity; the Malaysia-backed Maheshkhali plant, also with 1,320 MW capacity; a joint Bangladesh-Singapore project; and a joint project between Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation and Bangladesh’s state-owned Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh are among the plants that have been cancelled.
The Matarbari coal-fired power plant is being built in Maheshkhali, Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district. The 1.2GW project is being developed by Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh (CPGCBL), a state-owned corporation of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, with an estimated investment of $4.5 billion. In September 2011, the Matarbari power plant was proposed, and in October 2013, it received environmental approval. The project had its groundbreaking ceremony in January 2018, and operations are slated to commence in 2024. The facility is intended to contribute for 10 per cent of Bangladesh’s overall generation capacity. According to research, if coal-fired power plants in Cox’s Bazar’s Moheshkhali power hub were built, at least 30,000 people would die from exacerbated air pollution. Thanks to the Prime Minister, due to environmental concerns, it has decided not to build several coal-fired power plants. Moreover, it is more appreciated and being requested that the plants under construction and running should be canceled.
In contrast to this global trend against coal, Bangladesh’s reliance on coal for power generation has been exceptional. Bangladesh is not a coal-rich nation, thus we cannot provide coal as fuel for our power plants on our own. Instead, we must import coal from outside to fuel the majority of coal-fired power plants. The proposed location of the Rampal power project, according to environmentalists, would violate the Ramsar Convention. Bangladesh is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention, an international environmental agreement for the conservation of wetlands. The Sundarbans are included on Ramsar’s list of internationally significant wetlands. Each year, the thermal power plant will need to import 4.62 million tons of coal. This requires around 59 large cargo ships with a capacity of 60,000 tones, which will be transported to the port of Pashur. Coal-carrying ships will navigate the river through the Sundarbans, which is 40 kilometers (including the river) from the port. If these coals are used in power plants, they will pollute the atmosphere. The diversity of plants and animals is likewise threatened by fly ash. Sundarbans is the world’s biggest tidal halophytic mangrove forest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, the proposed development of a thermal power station in Rampal threatens this world’s largest mangrove forest. No one can guarantee that there would be no damage to the Sundarbans, despite the government’s assertions that the coal-based project will be created using cutting-edge technology to minimise its negative impacts. Locals and environmentalists began to resist the proposed power plant from the very beginning. They are still motivated to conserve the Sundarbans since it is our legacy.
Bangladesh has a legal framework for conserving the environment in the benefit of the general population. The Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act of 1995 contains regulations pertaining to environmental protection. Environment pollutant is defined in Section 2 of this Act as any solid, liquid, or gaseous substance that has a harmful effect on the environment, as well as heat, sound, radiation, and hazardous substances whose chemical or biochemical properties are such that their production, storage, discharge, or unregulated transportation can be harmful to the environment.
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report indicates that the power station will release around 220 tonnes per day of various hazardous gases. The authorities claim that the hazardous gases would be carefully processed before to emission using advanced technology, but environmentalists argue that this will not be sufficient to protect the forest. According to Section 2 of the Environment Conservation Act of 1995, these toxic gases are environmental pollutants and hazardous substances. The ships transporting coal through the forest will produce hazardous waste, which is also prohibited under Section 6 of the Act.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified as human carcinogens various agents associated to coal-fired power plants, including coal combustion, coal production, outdoor air pollution, and radon. The proportion of lung cancer cases attributable to environmental factors such as air pollution varies from nation to country and is difficult to measure. However, increased air quality has been linked to better health, encouraging several nations to enact air pollution legislation.
It is clear that more power is required, and that more power stations are needed for power generation. However, the environmental concern is significant. The majority of the time, the environmental impact analysis for a power plant proposal is not appropriately justified. As a result, it must be emphasized, and corruption must be controlled during project evaluation. It is time for Bangladesh’s government to respond to the recent energy crisis by generating environmentally friendly electricity.
(Dr. Majumder is Dean, Faculty of Science, Stamford University Bangladesh).
