Staff Reporter :
Sundarban Rakkha Jatiya Committee (SRJC) on Saturday asked the government to stop misleading common people by giving false and fabricated information about the Rampal coal-based power plant project.
“We are urging the government to stop campaigns in favour of the controversial project by telecasting the advertisements,” said Sundarban Rakkha Jatiya Committee Convener Advocate Sultana Kamal at a press conference at the National Press Club in the city yesterday.
She said, we want to remind the Prime Minister, the cabinet members and the concerned people, that the SRJC didn’t give any illogical statements or speech about the adverse impact of the project. The UNESCO also said it would cause irreparable damage to the Sundarbans forest.
The body was formed in 2013 opposing the government move to set up two coal-based thermal power plants at Rampal.
Last month the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
(UNESCO) recommended that Bangladesh should shelve the Rampal coal-fired power plant.
Sultana Kamal, a Human Rights Activist and Executive Director of Ain-O-Salish Kendra warned those who were in favour of setting up a power plant at Rampal they would not be spared even after a hundred years, if the Sundarbans is affected by it.
“We are also urging the Prime Minister to relocate the power plant to another place to protect the world’s largest mangrove forest and the country’s economy,” she said.
She said, the UNESCO report proves that the statement the SRJC issued so long is scientific and justified.
“Instead of mulling over how to reply to the UNESCO report, the government should work how speedily it can cancel this project,” Sultana Kamal said.
Sultana Kamal, also a former Adviser to the caretaker government, termed the advertisements that support the power plant as “ambiguous and deceptive” and “full of false information.”
An agreement was signed on January 29 with India’s state-run National Thermal Power Corporation to set up the 1,300 megawatt plant at Rampal, 14 km from Sundarbans.
A total of 1,834 acres of land has already been acquired for the power plants. It is feared that the coal ash emitted from the plant into the air will pollute the Sundarbans.
The UNESCO report highlighted four risks regarding the Rampal project. These are air pollution, water pollution, increased river traffic and accumulated pollution caused by industries and infrastructure coming up in the project area.
Environment experts warn that project will bring more harm to the country than good, destroying the World Heritage site, since the climate, topography, land use pattern, wetlands, floral and faunal diversity and quality of air and water in the Sundarbans will be affected due to the power plant.
The Sundarbans will face a long term impact, they said.
The experts added that physical growth of plants, their flower and fruits will be affected severely while the breeding capacity of birds and wildlife of the forest will be lost.
According to the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) of the project, the Rampal power plant will produce 7.5 lakh tonnes of fly ash and 2 lakh tonnes of bottom ash annually. About 15 percent of the ash will be generated as a result of burning coal.
Sundarban Rakkha Jatiya Committee (SRJC) on Saturday asked the government to stop misleading common people by giving false and fabricated information about the Rampal coal-based power plant project.
“We are urging the government to stop campaigns in favour of the controversial project by telecasting the advertisements,” said Sundarban Rakkha Jatiya Committee Convener Advocate Sultana Kamal at a press conference at the National Press Club in the city yesterday.
She said, we want to remind the Prime Minister, the cabinet members and the concerned people, that the SRJC didn’t give any illogical statements or speech about the adverse impact of the project. The UNESCO also said it would cause irreparable damage to the Sundarbans forest.
The body was formed in 2013 opposing the government move to set up two coal-based thermal power plants at Rampal.
Last month the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
(UNESCO) recommended that Bangladesh should shelve the Rampal coal-fired power plant.
Sultana Kamal, a Human Rights Activist and Executive Director of Ain-O-Salish Kendra warned those who were in favour of setting up a power plant at Rampal they would not be spared even after a hundred years, if the Sundarbans is affected by it.
“We are also urging the Prime Minister to relocate the power plant to another place to protect the world’s largest mangrove forest and the country’s economy,” she said.
She said, the UNESCO report proves that the statement the SRJC issued so long is scientific and justified.
“Instead of mulling over how to reply to the UNESCO report, the government should work how speedily it can cancel this project,” Sultana Kamal said.
Sultana Kamal, also a former Adviser to the caretaker government, termed the advertisements that support the power plant as “ambiguous and deceptive” and “full of false information.”
An agreement was signed on January 29 with India’s state-run National Thermal Power Corporation to set up the 1,300 megawatt plant at Rampal, 14 km from Sundarbans.
A total of 1,834 acres of land has already been acquired for the power plants. It is feared that the coal ash emitted from the plant into the air will pollute the Sundarbans.
The UNESCO report highlighted four risks regarding the Rampal project. These are air pollution, water pollution, increased river traffic and accumulated pollution caused by industries and infrastructure coming up in the project area.
Environment experts warn that project will bring more harm to the country than good, destroying the World Heritage site, since the climate, topography, land use pattern, wetlands, floral and faunal diversity and quality of air and water in the Sundarbans will be affected due to the power plant.
The Sundarbans will face a long term impact, they said.
The experts added that physical growth of plants, their flower and fruits will be affected severely while the breeding capacity of birds and wildlife of the forest will be lost.
According to the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) of the project, the Rampal power plant will produce 7.5 lakh tonnes of fly ash and 2 lakh tonnes of bottom ash annually. About 15 percent of the ash will be generated as a result of burning coal.
