Bangladesh has just over a year to meet UNESCO targets for Sundarbans
Samin Sababa and Moinul Hoque Chowdhury, bdnews24.com
Published: 2017-07-07 22:08:09.0 BdST Updated: 2017-07-08 01:14:56.0 BdST
Bangladesh has little more than a year to implement recommendations by a UN monitoring mission for protecting the Sundarbans before it can start constructing the Rampal Power Plant.
The government has been allowed time until December 2018 to report on the conservation of the world's largest mangrove forest to the World Heritage Centre.
The UNESCO's draft decision for the Sundarbans, a world heritage site, was adopted with several amendments by the World Heritage Committee during its 41st session in Krakow, Poland on Wednesday.
Among other moves, it withdrew a plan to inscribe the Sundarbans in the list of heritage sites in danger by next year in case of the failure to meet the mission's recommendations.
Last year, a reactive monitoring mission, jointly conducted by the World Heritage Centre and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in March, made detailed recommendations including the necessity of a strategic environmental assessment for the south-west region.
The committee welcomed Bangladesh's decision to carry out the assessment into thermal plant's potential impact, besides the decisions to scrap the plant's second phase and also the Orion power plant.
The committee had been originally advised in the draft decision to push for the relocation of the 1,320MW coal-fired plant, a joint initiative of Bangladesh and India, whose proposed location was 14 kilometres from the Sundarbans Reserved Forest.
Turkey, which opened the discussion on the Sundarbans, spoke for reconciliation of differences in the monitoring body's analysis and the report by Bangladesh concerning freshwater flow.
Bangladesh, whose "entire river system depended on upper riparian countries", should be granted more time to sort out the complex issue with neighbours, it said. Other members agreed with Turkey in its stance during the meeting streamed live in the UNESCO YouTube channel.
The section of the draft decision which spoke of the project's relocation was modified as suggested by Turkey, adding a call to Dhaka to make sure "adequate technological measures are put in place to mitigate the impact" of the power plant.
The committee then adopted the 11-point decision with amendments, which also included an addition by Finland requesting Bangladesh to set up a management system for shipping to reduce negative impact on the Sundarbans.
Environmental rights activists have been campaigning against the plan, fearing largescale damage to the Sundarbans' biodiversity. The UNESCO last year wrote to the government to share its concern.
When asked about the UNESCO decision, State Minister for Energy Nasrul Hamid Bipu said: "They had placed a bar in their agenda, but it's not there anymore. So we can work now. Of course there are some concerns. We have to submit an environmental assessment report. That's all."
The foreign ministry on Thursday announced that the Rampal project was finally "endorsed" by the UNESCO after a delegation led by Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, energy adviser to the prime minister, defended Dhaka's stance before the committee.
>> Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited or BHEL secured $1.5 billion export order for building the two 660 MW thermal sets for the Rampal Power Plant in April this year.
>> The Reactive Monitoring Mission in 2016 said the ash and other waste from the coal combustion process were hazardous for the environment.
>> Building the plant meant more shipping activity in the Sundarbans region, which increased the chances of oil spills and need for further dredging.
>> The ten-point demand by the monitoring mission included relocation of Rampal project, capping extension plan for Mongla port, conducting strategic assessment, bar on navigating the rivers inside the forest and further dredging.
Welcoming the committee's decision, the PM’s energy adviser had thanked the committee members “for helping the government of Bangladesh in striking an optimum balance between economic development and heritage conservation”.
He also assured the committee of Bangladesh's “full cooperation in ensuring conservation of the outstanding universal value of the Sundarbans, a prized possession of the nation,” the foreign ministry said.
But not everyone agreed with the government's assurance of safety.
One of the most persistent voices of opposition came from Professor Anu Muhammad, member secretary of the National Committee for Protection of Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports.
The UNESCO has not backed away from its demand for the project's relocation, which was among its central concerns, he told reporters on Friday noon.
"It's not easy for UNESCO to backpedal on the demand for relocation. This is a view founded on the analysis of scientific data, which has convinced the entire world except for some opportunists in Bangladesh."
He said the government's statement was hurried, and "it was possible that officials manipulated some words here through their lobbying".
Prof Muammad said he plans to overlook the UNESCO's decision and press ahead with the campaign.
The main opposition party outside parliament, the BNP, for its part, has announced that it will continue supporting anti-Rampal campaigners, terming irrelevant "what an international body has to say about the project".
But Hasan Mahmud, a leader of the ruling Awami League, advised arch-rival BNP to apologise and stop its campaign against the power project.
"The committee's report once released will put all this speculation to rest. Hopefully, we will be able to access it tomorrow," State Minister for Energy Nasrul Hamid Bipu told bdnews24.com.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12:00 AM, July 08, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 03:46 AM, July 08, 2017
Rampal Power Plant: Govt to comply with Unesco conditions
Say two ministers; Unesco decisions to be released likely after July 12; green groups to continue movement
Staff Correspondent
The government would fulfil the conditions set by Unesco for implementing the Rampal power plant project near the Sundarbans, two ministers told The Daily Star yesterday.
Unesco retreated from its earlier position that the plant cannot be built at Rampal and gave Bangladesh some conditions regarding its construction, said State Minister for Power Nasrul Hamid Bipu.
“We will meet the conditions,” he told this correspondent.
When asked about those, he said Unesco urged the Bangladesh delegation at the ongoing 41st session of its World Heritage Committee in Poland to carry out Strategic Environmental Assessment of the country's south-western region including the Sundarbans.
“We will do so,” he said, adding that the government would complete it by December next year.
Contacted, Environment and Forest Minister Anwar Hossain Manju said they would be able to do the assessment within the timeframe set by Unesco. They would start the task once the officials of the ministry, now attending the session in Poland, return home.
About the withdrawal of Unesco's objection, he said the “positive outcome” came following “hectic consultations” between Unesco officials and the high-powered Bangladesh delegation.
Earlier, Nasrul told reporters at his Gulshan residence that the Bangladesh delegation at the conference pointed out various technological aspects of the power plant.
It also gave details of the plant's impact on environment and made the Unesco understand that environmental safety has been given the utmost priority in setting up the plant and that there would be no negative impact on the Sundarbans, said the minister.
Bangladesh answered different queries from Unesco officials at the conference and assured them that it would meet the Unesco's conditions in setting up the plant, he added.
Bangladesh Ambassador to France M Shahidul Islam, member of the delegation and Bangladesh's permanent representative to Unesco, told this newspaper that the decisions made at the conference are yet to be published on the Unesco website.
All the decisions made so far would be placed before the committee with necessary amendments and then the Unesco Secretariat would post those on the Unesco website, he said.
The session ends on July 12, and the details of the decisions are likely to be uploaded on the website either on that day or the day after.
Meanwhile, one of the participants in the conference provided The Daily Star with a copy of an amended draft detailing the decisions made at the 41st session of the committee.
However, The Daily Star could not independently verify the details of the document.
The Bangladesh government cannot proceed with any “large scale industrial or infrastructure developments” before completion of Strategic Environmental Assessment. It also needs to submit a progress report on “the state of conservation” of the Sundarbans by December next year. The committee would examine the progress in its 43rd session, says the document.
Bangladesh has to assess all likely environmental impacts arising from air and water pollution and withdrawal of fresh water from the Sundarbans area for Rampal coal-fired power plant.
The committee also requested the Bangladesh government to assess all these impacts and put in place adequate technological measures to mitigate these impacts, according to the document.
Unesco also asked it to develop “National Oil Spill and Chemical Contingency Plan” and also implement a management system for shipping to minimise negative impacts on the mangrove forest. The government would have to make environmental impact assessment for any future dredging of the Passur river, the draft mentions.
Meanwhile, the National Committee to Protect Sundarbans yesterday vowed to continue its movement to save the world's largest mangrove forest.
“As far as we know, Unesco is seriously considering air and water pollution to be caused by the power plant as well as the dangers of coal transport and dredging,” it said in a press release yesterday.
Transparency International Bangladesh has called upon the government to implement the Unesco's recommendations for protecting the biodiversity of the Sundarbans.
It is a temporary relief that the Sundarbans has not been included in the list of heritage in danger at the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee, the TIB said in a statement yesterday.
"But this actually increases the responsibility of the authorities of Rampal power plant project, the Bangladesh government and the government of neighbouring India for protecting the environment, ecology and biodiversity of the Sundarbans," said TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman.
As per the Unesco's recommendations, it is necessary to scale up the Bangladesh-India joint initiatives to protect the Sundarbans, added the TIB.
On Thursday, the foreign ministry issued a statement claiming that Unesco withdrew its objection to the setting up of the plant at its current site in Rampal.
