Rampal Power Plant Near Sundarbans
Greens reject govt's EIA report
Some leading environmental organisations yesterday rejected the government's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report on the proposed coal-fired power plant to be built at Rampal in Bagerhat near the Sundarbans.
They termed the report "fraudulent", "untrue", "faulty", and "fake" and demanded that the government form a committee with experts, scientists, intellectuals, human rights activists, and eminent citizens to produce a correct report.
The EIA report prepared by Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) allegedly suggests going for building the 1,320-megawatt power plant. BPDB had posted the 676-page report on www.bpdb.gov.bd and received opinions from people until yesterday.
At a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity, the environmentalists urged the government to relocate the proposed plant to save the environment, ecosystem, land, water and atmosphere of the world's largest mangrove forest.
Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa), Center for Human Rights Movement, Save the Sundarbans, Bagerhat Development Commission, and Green Voice jointly hosted the conference.
Bapa General Secretary Mohammad Abdul Matin said the government already acquired 1,834 acres of agricultural land and signed an agreement with India to build the National Thermal Power Corporation though scientists of Bangladesh Agriculture University and Khulna University earlier published two separate EIA reports showing its bad impacts.
The BPDB report says the plant will not affect the ecosystem of the forest, which is 14km away from the proposed site, he said, but locals said the distance was only 9km.
Matin said about 142 tonnes of toxic sulfur dioxide and 85 tonnes of toxic nitrogen dioxide would be emitted from the power plant everyday but the government report underestimated the emission level to clear way for legal approval.
Citing from the BPDB report, Abdul Matin said tigers, deer, dolphins and mangroves would be disturbed due to movement of water vessels carrying fuels, wastes, and machineries, and it would also result in water, sound and light pollution.
He also said the plant, which would run for 25 years, would benefit India and threaten Bangladesh's sovereignty.
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