`Deceptive ads of the Sundarbans'
12 Nov, 2016
Sundarbans Sundarbans has said that
the deceptive advertising of the committee Advocate Sultana Kamal. she said the tax money of the people of Sundarbans is being advertised in the misleading and deceptive. It is completely false information. It should stop. "
Saturday (1 November) at the National Press Club, "Rampal power plant and the official status of the situation," he said at a press conference about the national organization.
"The Power of the Sundarbans as well as we would never have absurd statement. By sufficient evidence and scientific analysis, we are opposed to the Rampal thermal power plant. Rampal power plant is one time the forest will be destroyed. Therefore, the decision to build the plant and protect the Sundarbans bodhadaya the government to cancel. "
The world heritage Sundarbans to protect the interests of the immediate Rampal power project demanded.
Sultana Kamal said in a written statement, "in the face of natural disasters of the Sundarbans to protect the country's millions of people that we are pushing towards the destruction of the forest through the plant. It would be suicidal and self-contradictory measures. "
She added that, the Bangladesh government's position on the question of the Sundarbans and its position on the question of climate change and conflicting.. If you want to deal with the climate crisis, the Sundarbans is our main responsibility to keep the same intact. It is the will of the United Nations and the world. "
Also present at the press conference, Secretary of the Sundarbans, a member of the National Committee to Protect damo Abdul Matin, Prof MM Akash, Badrul Imam, Iftekharuzzaman, and Ruhin Khushi Kabir Hossain Prince, among others.
Source:
banglatribune
Ramphal coal-fired power plant betrays logic, say activists
South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR), a newly created regional human rights body, on Thursday alleged that the government has been proceeding to implement the coal-fired Rampal power plant project based on arbitrary power, not logic.
“Just a feudal mentality has been working in their minds in implementing the project,” said Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed, a noted social and environmental activist.Also founder chairman of Bishwa Sahitya Kendra, a non-profit organization that promotes the study of literature, reading habits and progressive ideas, Prof. Sayeed said that it is a serious crime to implement a project ignoring the local people’s lives and livelihood.
Professor Sayeed was speaking at the National Press Club, during the launch of a report based on fact-finding mission on the Rampal power plant project by SAHR.
Addressing the function, bureau member of the SAHR Sultana Kamal said this project will directly hit the local people’s rights to live. Even the ecology, flora and fauna of the Sundarbans forest will be the direct victims of the project.
She said that if the government continues to proceed with the project, it will be the ultimate denial of at least 10 vital obligations of the total 16 commitments of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) prepared by the United Nations.
“So, we urge the government to pull out from this location and choose a new one which will not be harmful to the Sundarbans and its ecology and also local community,” Kamal concluded.
The function was also addressed by TIB executive director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Professor Shamsul Alam of CAB, Dhaka University professor Dr. Tanjib Uddin, Professor Anu Mohammad and Khushi Kabir.
The SAHR fact finding mission was conducted by Dr. Harun Chowdhury and Sharif Jamil from Bangladesh. External expertise was given by Nityanand Jayaraman and Sagar Dhara from India.
It was said that the objective of the mission was to evaluate the impact of the power plant on the livelihoods of the people and the ecology of the region, examine the legal framework governing its establishment and assess if the proposed plant violates any laws, policies and guidelines that protect the Sundarbans, a world heritage site.
The report highlights that the multifaceted costs to the local people and the irreversible damage to the fragile ecosystem and biodiversity have not been prioritised when proposing the project, and that these costs are much larger compared to the significant benefits from the construction of the power plant, including electricity production, infrastructure development and employment.
The report details on the key human rights concerns and the government response and critiques the environmental impact assessment conducted earlier, and the track record of the National Thermal Power Corporation of India in similar projects.- UNB
SEPTEMBER 18, 2015
Kota thermal power chimney producing poisonous fly ash: Part-1
Sahara Samay
published on Apr 11, 2013
Kota thermal power chimney has been producing poisonous fly ash, which is polluting air dangerously. Doctors are claiming that due to fly ash fired by coal driven Thermal power plant, people are suffering from respiratory problems.
blob:
https://www.youtube.com/1e865f1e-b1c7-4df3-a2f2-1cb02ef8709d
Public Hearing for NTPC's super thermal power plant, Chhattisgarh
Published on Mar 2, 2012
This video shows the moments of public hearing of environmental clearence of setback to the 2X800 MW capacity super thermal power plant of M/s NTPC Limited proposed to come up in village Kandagarh, Aadmuda, Jhilgitar, Develsura, Mahloi, Chhapora, pali and Lara in Pussore Tehsil, Raigarh District (Chattisgarh) on December 23, 2011.
Green hurdles to power plant
- Govt overlooks choice of NTPC site adjacent to Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary, Union ministry yet to clear proposal
Dev Raj
The power plant is scheduled to come up near this place.
Telegraph picture
Patna, Jan. 14: The 1,320MW power plant at Kajra in Lakhisarai district has hit a hurdle.
While deciding the site of the power plant, officials concerned appeared to have overlooked the fact that the site was adjacent to Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary.
Also, the state environment and forest department had sent a proposal to the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change to declare the project site as an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) just before a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between NTPC and the state government on February 21, 2014, to set up the power plant as a joint venture.
The ESZs are meant to save the protected areas, especially national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, from ecological damage caused by development activities around them. It's a classic case of the right hand not knowing what the left is doing in the government, and has hit the proposed power plant so hard, that it has failed to take off even two years after signing the MoU.
About the project status, energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav said: "Kajra power plant has not been okayed yet. However, we have talked about it to Union power minister Piyush Goyal and he has assured us that it would be approved soon. We are waiting for it."
A senior energy department official told
The Telegraph, on condition of anonymity, that IL&FS Energy Development Company, appointed the project consultant, did not declare that the Kajra plant was located next to the wildlife sanctuary while seeking terms of reference from the Union ministry for environmental impact assessment (EIA) on the basis of which environmental clearance is given to such projects.
"The terms of reference for the EIA itself were faulty. The fact that Bhimbandh sanctuary starts just from the place where the project site ends, came to light only at a later stage. IL&FS had completed the EIA by then and a public hearing was also conducted after it. A fresh set of terms of reference and a new EIA is necessary now for seeking environmental clearance and that is the biggest hurdle facing the power plant now," the official said.
Government sources said the issue of Bhimbandh came to light at the public hearing after a few environment activists raised it.
The Kajra plant needed 1,165 acres of land and the official said that to top the Bhimbandh hurdle, the state environment and forest department sent a proposal to the Union ministry to establish an ESZ in the area. It included the power plant project site also. This came to light only after the MoU was signed with NTPC.
"We were dumbstruck by this as it came like a bolt from the blue. We could not start any work after this. As of now, the state government department has now sent another revised proposal to the Union ministry for having the ESZ there, leaving out the project area aside," an NTPC official said.
Officials in the government departments concerned or NTPC do not know at present whether the project would get environmental clearance, and its fate now hangs in the balance.
The government has already acquired 987 acres of land for the project and paid a compensation of Rs 430 crore to the farmers, owners from whom it was taken.
The site will require a boundary wall of 12.5km but the contractor assigned with the task has left the work after constructing 3.5km of it as he was not paid money by the government.
Yadav said that the Centre has allocated a coal block in Bengal so that the plant could get a continuous fuel supply once it goes critical.
340MW nuclear power plant starts operation
By APP
October 16, 2016
ISLAMABAD: Country’s fourth nuclear power plant at Chashma Unit-3 (C-3) with 340 Megawatt (MW) power generation capacity has been successfully connected to the national grid, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) said Sunday.
“Congratulation to the nation that Pakistan’s 4th nuclear power plant Chashma unit-3 (C-3) has been connected to the national grid,” the PAEC sources said and added that the electricity generated has been connected to the national grid on trial basis.
“After performing various safety and functional tests, the plant will attain full power in first fortnight of December 2016 and a formal inauguration ceremony of the full power grid connection will be held in December.”
Chairman PAEC Muhammad Naeem, on achieving this milestone, has re-affirmed that the scientists, engineers and technicians of PAEC are working hard to contribute in achieving all the targets set to ensure energy security for the country.
He acknowledged the support of Special Plans Division and the government for help achieve these targets.
India's devastating coal policy hurts Bangladesh
Posted April 3, 2014
India has a lot of coal underneath the ground, and so, it started to exploit the resource a bit early and has been doing it abruptly to meet the rising electricity demand of the industries and households.
The consequence is not pleasant, though the power generation capacity has reached rocket-high, because now the next-door neighbour has polluted most parts of the country’s land, water and air where coal-fired power plants are installed.
Moreover, the massive extraction of coal through hazardous but cheap “open-pit mining method” across the country has already left serious impact on the environment and particularly the health of the miners and people of the nearby areas.
It should be noted that the quality of India’s coal is one of the worst in the world!
It is astonishing that the subsequent governments in India, which is a fast-growing super power, have ignored the people and the Nature only for the greater interest (!) of saving money of the government and private investors!!!
Okay, every development initiative is praiseworthy, but at what cost?
The gigantic moves of the state-owned National Thermal Power Company (NTPC) — corrupt and callous — have made the government highly-ambitious. Now they’ve been upbeat about setting up more coal projects in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka!
India’s scientists are ridiculous as they have been staying reluctant over the issue.
So far, none but the conservationists voice concern over the ever-degrading environment in India.
It is, however, praiseworthy that India’s National Green Tribunal acts sometime in favour of the environment, for instance, on March 12, 2014 it suspended the environmental clearance issued for the NTPC to build a power plant in Karnataka state.
The reasons behind the decision are more concerning: 1) to get the clearance, the NTPC gave wrong and unclear information about the land of the project area; it said the arable land was not fertile, 2) the clearance was issued before the NTPC prepared compensation and rehabilitation plans, 3) softened the impact of coal-fired power plants, and 4) the NTPC ignored locals’ opinions.
While constructing the 1320MW coal-based power plant on the bank of Pashur River — a fresh water dolphin sanctuary, and beside the Sundarbans — a UNESCO World heritage Site, both the Bangladesh and Indian government violated a number of rules they formulated. They committed serious crimes by giving false information in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report and the feasibility study. The Department of Environment (DoE) of Bangladesh violated its own condition given for the project upon the government pressure.
Yes, pressure; it comes from both the governments when the Bangladeshi one is eager more to implement the project. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated construction of the project on October 6 last year through a video conference — apparently to avoid ire of the conservationists who few days back carried out a long-march from Dhaka to Rampal in Bagerhat, protesting the project.
Before that the Bangladesh Army was given the job of land-filling in the project area to avoid the protesters. Still, the work was underway defying environmental laws.
Much before that, the High Court of Bangladesh showed its shit-face by rejecting and not hearing all the three petitions filed against the power plant project.
While approving the faulty EIA, the DoE said the adverse impact of the plant would be slow, and they’ll monitor the operation. The high-ranking official who deals the project justified the approval saying that there had been many big installations around the mangrove forest for long, including an export processing zone and several cement factories.
It’s also shocking to know from newspaper reports that the local administration has long been allowing sale of land in the area for hazardous shipbreaking yard and other industries.
Latest, an Indian delegation visited the Rampal site on April 2 and has continuously been giving wrong information about the project.
Who cares? Who to blame? How to get away from the hands of the corrupt authorities? How to protect the mother Nature for the future generations?
The last resort was an international arbitration. During my Poland visit in November I spoke to the chief of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Christiana Figueres, to know whether there were any means to stop the Rampal project through the UN body or by any other international court dealing with related issues.
“There is no such effort or such authority. Every country is sovereign, and establishes [projects] the way it wishes to pursue its sustainable development,” she said.
“In particular with developing countries, our most challenge right now is how they pursue their sustainable development; which means, in their pursue of energy and supplying growing energy demands, the developing countries must pursue a path of energy which is accessible, reliable and environmentally responsible. And we will expect those three different characteristics that all countries would pursue,” she frustrated me!
India Scraps $3 Billion Diamond Project to Protect Tigers
By
Garima Bakshi| Aug. 1, 2016
The Indian government has put on hold a diamond-mining project worth more than $3 billion USD in favour of saving a tiger corridor and preserving forests.
Read More: It’s International Tiger Day. Here’s How You Can Help Save Them
In March this year, India’s forest advisory committee
had to make a decision — to approve the diamond-mining project in the Chhatarpur forests in the state of Madhya Pradesh or to scrap the project and preserve 971 hectares of forest land.
Tigers hold up Rio Tinto’s diamond mining plans in Madhya Pradesh
4:38 PM - 28 Jul 2016
The mining project, proposed by Rio Tinto, one of the world’s largest mining companies, had been awaiting a decision for close to 10 years. Rio Tinto wanted to look beneath the forests for diamonds, a process which could lead to the destruction of around
492,000 trees, and dislocating several tribal communities and animals. A tiger corridor, which connects the endangered species from one forest to another, could also have been destroyed.
Rio Tinto estimated that mining the Bunder region, in which the forest is located, could yield over 34.2 million carats of diamond, making India one of the top 10 diamond producers in the world. However, while the region might be rich with ore deposits, it has also been identified as too dense and valuable to be mined. Apart from tigers, it is also home to animals like leopards, Indian pumped vultures, sloth bears, and Indian gazelles. Rare and endangered species like peacocks, chinkara, and cheetal are also found here.
“We are still not clear about the size of the project, but a large project will definitely affect the movement of tigers and especially with infrastructure development,” Raghu Chundawat, a conservation biologist told
Quartz.
While Rio Tinto defended the environmental sustainability of its project, an environment ministry panel has chosen to defer the forest clearance required to mine diamonds in the area, saying it would lead to a depletion of
high-quality forest area.
Recent decades have seen efforts by the Indian government to save its national animal, the royal Bengal tiger, found only in the Indian Subcontinent. The species’ numbers are fast depleting due to poaching, habitat destruction by mining and industrial projects, and climate change.
The step to defer forest clearance for diamond mining comes as a positive move needed to save the gorgeous cat from extinction. Protecting the forest cover in the area will also go a long way in saving other animal species and curbing climate change.
Written by
Garima Bakshi,Garima Bakshi is a Digital Content Intern at Global Citizen. Currently a Master's candidate at NYU's department of Media, Culture, and Communication, she believes that each person is a reservoir of power and potential that can be utilized positively. She brings her love for feminism, spicy food, and Harry Potter from her hometown of New Delhi.
UNESCO World Heritage Centre: We call on you to Save Sundarbans
Why this is important
A South Asian fact finding mission was conducted in Rampal, Bangladesh from 5 -11April, 2015 on the establishment of a coal-based power plant by the Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company (Pvt) Ltd. to evaluate the impact of the power plant on the livelihoods of the people and ecology of the region, examine the legal framework governing its establishment and assess if the proposed power plant violates any laws, policies and guidelines that protect the Sundarbans, an international heritage site [a Ramsar and World Heritage Site – is the largest mangrove area in the world, the largest habitat of the Royal Bengal tiger, and according to IUCN it is the only mangrove forest where tigers are found.] surrounding the power plant.
The construction of the proposed plant would cause irreversible damage to the fragile ecosystem and biodiversity. The affected population were not made cognisant of the facts of the project nor consulted with regard to the compensation process by the government, which is inadequate. A large number of landless families whose livelihoods depend on the land and water bodies have been displaced without any compensation and also been excluded in government statistics.
Additionally, the river belt from the Mongla port to Rampal is undergoing rapid industrialization, with land being acquired both legally and illegally. Displaced people have been deprived of their traditional livelihoods along with their cultural way of life causing them numerous economic, social and cultural hardships.
The current EIA is defective on numerous particulars. The extent of damage from the coal cannot be assessed by an EIA, thereby making the current assessment flawed. As preparatory construction of the plant, approximately 400 acres of land, including a natural canal, has been land-filled by approx. 20ft. Extensive dredging of riverbed and seabed areas as well as constant leakage of toxins will in turn deteriorate the ecosystem health of the aquatic bio diversity of the Passur and Maidara rivers, especially the Dhangmari dolphin sanctuary which is 8km away from the site.
In addition, with more than 400 ships transporting coal passing through the river every year, there will be water pollution due to coal and oil spillage, bilge water and ballast discharge; noise pollution; and air pollution generating coal dust to the environment. Such pollution to the environment will create extreme weather conditions which will have a large effect on both Bangladesh and India.
South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR), as a regional human rights organization, has called upon the Government of Bangladesh to suspend all construction and other project activities until a comprehensive, science-based EIA is conducted by impartial and independent experts.
If found damaging to the Sundarbans, the project must be cancelled immediately and relocated to an environmentally sustainable site. Bilateral agreements must ensure that the environmental standards adopted by both countries are maintained and adhered to. It is the responsibility of the Governments of Bangladesh and India to adhere to national laws and international environmental conventions, protocols and treaties in conducting activities through regional cooperation or under bilateral agreements and further to conduct all activities transparently and in consultation with their citizens.
A new power plant could devastate the world’s largest mangrove forest
By
Chelsea Harvey July 18
The Sundarbans mangrove forest, based on NASA’s Landsat 7 observations in 1999 and 2000. (NASA Earth Observatory)
The planet’s largest mangrove forest could be facing serious trouble in the form of two new coal-fired power plants, environmentalists say — and they’re urging the United Nations to draw greater attention to the issue.
A handful of environmental groups, including Friends of the Earth, the Sierra Club and 350.org, have cumulatively collected 50,000 signatures on a
petitionjust submitted to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) asking that the
Sundarbans — a region of Bangladesh including a designated World Heritage Site — be placed on the official
List of World Heritage in Danger. Meanwhile, activists continue to lobby against the construction of the power plants.
The petition was submitted ahead of this year’s meeting of the World Heritage Committee, which convened in Istanbul last week. Meanwhile, progress on the Rampal power plant — the proposed project garnering the greatest amount of concern in Bangladesh — continues to move forward. Last week,
local media reported that an official agreement had been signed awarding India’s state-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. an engineering and construction deal on the Rampal project, paving the way for its continued development.
The importance of the Sundarbans
The Sundarbans include a region spanning thousands of square miles of land and water in India and Bangladesh and including what may be the largest mangrove forest in the world. The area is known for the rich habitat it provides for hundreds of birds and numerous endangered or threatened species, including the Bengal tiger and the Indian python.
Several locations in the Sundarbans are listed as
World Heritage Sites — United Nations-designated areas identified for their cultural or natural significance. These include the Sundarbans mangrove forest in Bangladesh, which spans the drainage basins of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers and is intersected by a complex network of other rivers and waterways.
The Sundarbans mangrove forest was named a World Heritage Site in 1997, and its
UNESCO description notes that the area “supports exceptional biodiversity in its terrestrial, aquatic and marine habitats.” Additionally, the area is critically important for the livelihoods people living in and around the site, protecting their communities from storm and tidal surges, and supporting fishing and farming.
Mohammad Hasib Munsi, 32, sorts fish in the river between the Joymuni village and Sundarbans mangrove forest in 2014 in Khulna Division, Bangladesh. (Getty Images)
Environmental groups in Bangladesh and around the world are worried that the area and its inhabitants may be in jeopardy. Two coal-fired power plants have been proposed, both within a few miles of the Sundarbans, and activists are concerned that the power plants’ presence could alter the critical water balance in the region, pollute the surrounding water and air, and increase the risk of oil and coal spills, all of which they say could seriously damage the mangrove forest and threaten the well-being of the people and animals who call it home.
The most recently proposed project is the
Orion power plant, a 630-megawatt plant being planned by the Orion Group. But the project receiving the most attention is the proposed Rampal power plant, which involves a partnership between India’s state-owned National Thermal Power Corp. and the Bangladesh Power Development Board. The joint venture, which was established in 2012, is known as the
Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Co. Ltd., or BIFPCL. The plan for the Rampal power plant is an installed capacity of 1,320 megawatts.
Currently, Bangladesh has an
installed power-generation capacity of about 12,000 megawatts. But the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has estimated that
demand will nearly triple by the year 2030 and is working to increase the country’s installed capacity accordingly. About 15,000 megawatts of the demand are expected to be supplied by coal-fired plants.
Furthermore, the
World Bank estimates that about 60 percent of the population of Bangladesh currently has access to electricity, so increased access has become a priority for the government. Both the current administration of Bangladesh and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi have expressed support for the Rampal project.
The controversy
Protests against the Rampal project began several years ago among local inhabitants threatened with displacement by the project, said Renuka Saroha, a consultant with 350.org.
“Initially, it was a movement by people living in that area who just wanted to protect their land,” she said. “These were poor farmers who did not have a lot of idea about what a power plant could do to the entire ecosystem.”
Eventually, though, she said, the word began to spread among local nongovernmental organizations and attracted the attention of environmental groups elsewhere. Opposition has continued to ramp up recently. In March, hundreds of activists completed a
four-day march from Dhaka into southwest Bangladesh to protest the Rampal plant’s construction.
Bangladeshi environmental activists march behind a banner during a rally from Dhaka on March 10 toward the Sundarbans, part of a protest against the installation of a power plant near the mangrove forest. Hundreds of Bangladeshi protesters marched from the capital to the Sundarbans in a protest against plans to build a coal-fired power plant near the World Heritage-listed forest. (Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)
According to Saroha, the biggest concern among activists revolves around the plant’s effects on local water supplies. According to the proposal, the completed plant would draw its water from the nearby Passur River, later discharging treated waste water back into the river. Environmentalists worry about pollutants being introduced into the water supply to the detriment of the mangroves, the marine animals living there and nearby human communities who rely on the water for fishing and agriculture.
Activists are also concerned that a source of coal for the plant has not yet been identified, although suggestions have included importing coal from Australia or shipping it in from India. It’s an issue some think was not adequately addressed in the project’s environmental impact assessment, Saroha said.
“If you don’t know the source of coal, and if you don’t have any agreement for the coal supply, how can you have an impact assessment?” she said. “Because the content of sulfur [in the coal] is very important when you’re assessing the impact.” Additionally, environmentalists worry about the possibility of spills as the coal is being transported through the region’s waterways to the plant’s construction site. The region already experienced one such disaster two years ago, when an oil tanker collided with another vessel in the Shela River, spilling tens of thousands of gallons of oil into the water and threatening habitat for the rare Irrawaddy and Ganges dolphins and other wildlife in the area.
And in a broader sense, environmentalists also worry that the completed power plant, and its steady electricity supply, will attract other forms of industry to the area that could prove harmful to the ecosystem.
“It is inevitable this entire area will become an industrial hub,” Saroha said. “The cumulative damage to the entire ecosystem is going to be irreversible.”
Damage to the ecosystem could have consequences for the global climate. Research suggests that mangrove forests serve as highly effective carbon sinks. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, mangrove forests and coastal wetlands may be able to store
up to five times more carbon than the same size tropical forest. Damaging these ecosystems can both harm their ability to continue storing carbon, as well as release carbon that’s already sequestered.
Adding to this would be the carbon emissions produced by the coal plants themselves. According to the
environmental impact assessment, the plant would require almost 13,000 tons of coal per day and would release an estimated 7.9 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year.
Repeated attempts to contact representatives of the Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Co. Ltd. for a response were unsuccessful. However, the company has issued several statements in the past, according to local media. In an
October statement, BIFPCL reportedly asserted that “this power plant would be established by following all rules, regulations and standards of international organization as well as the Department of Environment of Bangladesh. All, including human beings, the Sundarbans and its bio-diversities, Pashur River, birds and fishes are totally safe from this power plant.”
In response to the specific concerns of environmentalists about pollution or coal spills, the statement added: “Modern ultra-Super Thermal Technology would be used in the plant, which would prevent emission of harmful dark smoke and ash. While transporting to the plant the coal would be covered. So water or air will not be polluted. The water will be processed through improved technology. No polluted or hot water will be discharged to the river.”
Despite the protests, whether it’s possible for environmentalists to stop the construction of the Rampal power plant remains unclear. The goal of the recent petition to UNESCO is to have the site added to the official list of World Heritage in Danger, which can aid in calling international attention to the threats they face and motivate governments to better assess the consequences.
According to UNESCO, “inscription of a site on the List of World Heritage in Danger requires the World Heritage Committee to develop and adopt, in consultation with the State Party concerned, a programme for corrective measures, and subsequently to monitor the situation of the site. All efforts must be made to restore the site’s values in order to enable its removal from the List of World Heritage in Danger as soon as possible.”
If the Sundarbans were to make it onto the list — which remains up to the discretion of the World Heritage Committee — Saroha notes that outcomes could range from more stringent eco-friendly technological requirements for the completed plant to the outright cancellation of the project.
Forest minister: It is not possible to keep tigers alive forever
- Nure Alam Durjoy
- Published at 10:31 PM December 03, 2016
- Last updated at 11:18 PM December 03, 2016
Two tigers in their natural habitat in the SundarbansSyed Zakir Hossain/Dhaka Tribune
Environment and Forest Minister Anwar Hossain Manju, who had earlier been criticised for making questionable remarks on tiger population, has said tigers cannot be saved from extinction despite initiatives
Minister Manju made the comment on Saturday amid growing concerns from different groups over the plummeting tiger population in the Sundarbans.
He said: “We have taken up many initiatives to protect the Bengal Tiger. But it is not possible to keep them alive forever.”
The forest minister made the remark while attending an event titled “Greater Dialogue for a Greater Cause” to save the Bengal Tiger population in the Sundarbans.
The event was organised by Bengal Tiger Conservation Activity project (Bagh) of United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in association with the Forest Department and Wild Team.
The session was moderated by Ainun Nishat, professor emeritus of BRAC University.
Environment and Forest Minister Anwar Hossain Manju has repeatedly faced backlash over his remarks about tigers despite being entrusted with their conservation
File photo
The forest minister faced backlash in 2015 for saying the dwindling tiger population was because tigers were “touring the Indian side”.
After the tiger population saw a brief surge in October, he said “Tigers have come back from India and are giving birth to cubs after their trip.”
Addressing Saturday’s function, the forest minister said field-level initiatives taken up by the government to protect Sundarbans’ tigers are ineffective since local influential political leaders are involved in poaching.
“Tiger conservation is a very difficult task for Bangladesh as around one crore people are dependent on the Sundarbans for their livelihood. Their lives revolve around the forest.
“However, we have deployed coast guard and RAB in Sunbarbans. In addition, alternative employment has been arranged for those dependent on,” he added.
Gary F Collins, chief of USAID’s Bagh Activity, said: “The business community is an important part of protecting the ecosystems of the Sundarbans by providing alternative livelihoods for the people there.
Nathan Sage, Deputy Director and Environment & Global Climate Change Leader, USAID said “I think the challenge is to inspire people in protecting tiger…there are many ways to get involved in this activity.”
The Bagh Project is being funded by the USAID and implemented by the Smithsonian Institution and Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies in partnership with WildTeam.
The event was organised as part of creating awareness to conserve Bangladesh’s rich biodiversity through protection of the Bengal Tiger.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2016/12/03/minister-not-possible-tigers-alive/
http://www.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/article/1032995/রামপাল-প্রকল্প-থেকে-সরে-আসার-সুযোগ-নেই-বিদ্যুৎ
রামপাল প্রকল্প থেকে সরে আসার সুযোগ নেই : বিদ্যুৎ প্রতিমন্ত্রী
শাহজালাল বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় প্রতিনিধি | আপডেট: ২১:০৮, ডিসেম্বর ০৩, ২০১৬
বিদ্যুৎ, জ্বালানি ও খনিজ সম্পদ প্রতিমন্ত্রী নসরুল হামিদ বলেছেন, রামপাল প্রকল্প থেকে সরে আসার সুযোগ নেই। সর্বাধুনিক প্রযুক্তিতে নির্মিত হবে বলে রামপাল বিদ্যুৎকেন্দ্রের কারণে পরিবেশের তেমন কোনো ক্ষতি হবে না।
আজ শনিবার দুপুরে সিলেট শাহজালাল বিজ্ঞান ও প্রযুক্তি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের পেট্রোলিয়াম অ্যান্ড মাইনিং ইঞ্জিনিয়ারিং বিভাগের যুগপূর্তি অনুষ্ঠানের উদ্বোধন শেষে সাংবাদিকদের প্রশ্নের জবাবে প্রতিমন্ত্রী নসরুল হামিদ এসব কথা বলেন।
প্রতিমন্ত্রী বলেন, যত দ্রুত সম্ভব খুলনায় বিদ্যুৎ পৌঁছাতে হবে। কেননা, পদ্মা সেতু নির্মিত হলে সেখানে চার থেকে পাঁচ হাজার মেগাওয়াট বিদ্যুতের চাহিদা বেড়ে যাবে। এ চাহিদা মেটাতে রামপাল বিদ্যুৎ প্রকল্প থেকে সরে আসার সুযোগ নেই। বরং বর্ধিত চাহিদা মেটাতে বিদ্যুৎ উৎপাদনে আরও প্রকল্প নেওয়া হবে।
রামপাল বিদ্যুৎ প্রকল্প নিয়ে উদ্বেগ জানিয়ে ইউনেসকোর দেওয়া প্রতিবেদন প্রসঙ্গে প্রতিমন্ত্রী বলেন, ইউনেসকোর দেওয়া প্রতিবেদনের জবাব দেওয়া হয়েছে। ওই প্রতিবেদন প্রকল্পে কোনো বাধা হয়ে দাঁড়াবে না। দ্রুত রামপাল বিদ্যুৎ প্রকল্প বাস্তবায়ন করা হবে।
‘Go back, get out India’
Poriborton Correspondent / 5:47 pm, November 26,2016
At Central Shaheed Minar, a rally is going on to cancel Rampal Power Plant in Sundarbans. Cultural organization ‘Samageet’ is presenting songs to motivate the present people. ‘Go back, get out India’ is being pronounced by their voice.
The Shahid Minar premises and the surrounding area are filled to the brim at 3.00 pm on Saturday.
After 12.00 pm leaders and activists are coming with processions to express solidarity with the movement.
Various cultural organizations are presenting drama, poetry and songs from 12.00 pm in the place of the rally that is organized to cancel Rampal Power Plant by national committee of protecting oil, gas, current and mineral resources. These cultural activities continued till around 3.00 pm. Though the main segment of the rally was about to start at 2.00 pm, member of national committee Ruhin Hossain Prince announced the formal beginning of the rally at 2.45 pm.
In the meantime, the convener of the national committee Sheikh Mohammad Shahidullah, member and secretary Anu Muhammad, eminent writer and researcher Syed Abul Maqsud, leader of national committee Mujahidul Islam Selim, Haider Akbar Khan Rono, comrade Khalequzzaman, Altaf Hossain, professor of Dhaka University M M Akash, professor Badrul Inam, comrade Bazlur Rashid, Zunaid Saki, Mosharefa Mishu, Kallol Mustafa and Tipu Biswas have come to the rally place among others.
On the other hand, activists from seven parts of the country started their journey at 3.00 pm on Thursday to take part in the program ‘Cholo Cholo Dhaka Cholo’ for the call to implement 7-points demand.
This journey started from Rampal of Khulna, Chanpainawabganj of Rajshahi, Panchgar of Rangpur, Netrokona of Mymensingh, Cox’s bazar of Chittagong, Patuakhali of Barisal and Sunamganj of Sylhet. Many of them have reached Dhaka and some of them are on the way.
Leaders of national committee and organizer think that millions of people will be present in the rally.
Member and secretary of national committee Anu Muhammad has told, “We want peaceful rally. I hope the government will not interfere. In fact we have informed the National Human Rights Commission.”
He also has hoped that government will not hinder this peaceful rally and will cancel Rampal Power Plant to save the Sundarbans.
Though the left parties of the country have participated in the rally, Workers Party has not attended the rally. They have arranged a rally on December 3 to save the Sundarbans and to transfer Rampal Power Plant.
http://en.poriborton.com/bangladesh/2641/‘Go-back,-get-out-India’