Staff Reporter :
Environmentalists have reiterated their demand that the government suspend the construction of Rampal Thermal Power Plant to save the Sundarbans.
They also feared that the UNESCO World Heritage Committee may drop the name of Sundarbans from the list of world heritage sites as Bangladesh government is going ahead with the Rampal coal-fired power project ignoring the call from the UN body to abandon the project because it would do huge harm to the mangrove forest.
“The UNESCO has asked the government again and again to abandon the ‘Sundarbans destroying’ project, but it did not respond. Now the government officials are enjoying trips to Europe on the plea of convincing the UN body (UNESCO),” said a press statement signed by Engineer Sheikh Muhammad Shadidullah and Anu Muhammad, the President and the Member Secretary of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports on Sunday.
The statement pointed out that Bangldesh and Indian governments are going ahead with the project stubbornly without any logic.
“Consequently, the Bangladesh portion of Sundarbans is feared to be dropped from the World Heritage site by the UNESCO,” it read.
Besides, Sundarbans Rakkha Jatiya Committee and BAPA jointly organised a press briefing on the same ussue to inform the media about a ten-day UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting that started Sunday in Poland.
“Please backtrack on the construction of Rampal Power Plant. It must destroy the harmony and ecological balance of the entire area” said Abdul Matin, General Secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA) while addressing the briefing at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU).
If the government does not abandon the 1,320MW coal-fired power plant at Rampal, the world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans will be in danger, Matin added.
He said, “Whether the Sundarbans will retain its World Heritage Site status is likely to be decided in the UNESCO meeting.”
Earlier, despite the government’s assurance that the Rampal Power Plant would not harm the Sundarbans, the UNESCO stayed firm on its stance against the project and has again requested the government to cancel and relocate the plant to a more suitable place.
“Otherwise, the UN’s culture and science agency may place the forest on the list of ‘World Heritage in Danger’ next year, according to a report posted on its website on October 18, 2016,” the BAPA General Secretary pointed out.
BAPA Vice-President Rasheda K Chowdhury said that the movement to protect Sundarbans will continue.
BAPA Vice-President Syed Abul Maksud said, ” The Indian government was compelled to abandon a similar project in Gujrat. The Sri Lankan government also did the same. The two countries abandoned the coal-fired projects due to huge protests from the people.”
Dhaka University professors MM Akash and Badrul Imam also spoke.
Environmentalists have reiterated their demand that the government suspend the construction of Rampal Thermal Power Plant to save the Sundarbans.
They also feared that the UNESCO World Heritage Committee may drop the name of Sundarbans from the list of world heritage sites as Bangladesh government is going ahead with the Rampal coal-fired power project ignoring the call from the UN body to abandon the project because it would do huge harm to the mangrove forest.
“The UNESCO has asked the government again and again to abandon the ‘Sundarbans destroying’ project, but it did not respond. Now the government officials are enjoying trips to Europe on the plea of convincing the UN body (UNESCO),” said a press statement signed by Engineer Sheikh Muhammad Shadidullah and Anu Muhammad, the President and the Member Secretary of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports on Sunday.
The statement pointed out that Bangldesh and Indian governments are going ahead with the project stubbornly without any logic.
“Consequently, the Bangladesh portion of Sundarbans is feared to be dropped from the World Heritage site by the UNESCO,” it read.
Besides, Sundarbans Rakkha Jatiya Committee and BAPA jointly organised a press briefing on the same ussue to inform the media about a ten-day UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting that started Sunday in Poland.
“Please backtrack on the construction of Rampal Power Plant. It must destroy the harmony and ecological balance of the entire area” said Abdul Matin, General Secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA) while addressing the briefing at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU).
If the government does not abandon the 1,320MW coal-fired power plant at Rampal, the world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans will be in danger, Matin added.
He said, “Whether the Sundarbans will retain its World Heritage Site status is likely to be decided in the UNESCO meeting.”
Earlier, despite the government’s assurance that the Rampal Power Plant would not harm the Sundarbans, the UNESCO stayed firm on its stance against the project and has again requested the government to cancel and relocate the plant to a more suitable place.
“Otherwise, the UN’s culture and science agency may place the forest on the list of ‘World Heritage in Danger’ next year, according to a report posted on its website on October 18, 2016,” the BAPA General Secretary pointed out.
BAPA Vice-President Rasheda K Chowdhury said that the movement to protect Sundarbans will continue.
BAPA Vice-President Syed Abul Maksud said, ” The Indian government was compelled to abandon a similar project in Gujrat. The Sri Lankan government also did the same. The two countries abandoned the coal-fired projects due to huge protests from the people.”
Dhaka University professors MM Akash and Badrul Imam also spoke.
