The building of a coal-based power plant at Rampal, a joint venture between Bangladesh and India, which is very close to the Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans, is understandably drawing flak. A deal was signed to build the plant but it may be possible even at this hour to pay heed to the growing protests in Bangladesh about it and finally to reconsider the project. A report in this paper on Wednesday showed a human chain that was organized by protesters in Barisal demanding cancellation of the project. This has not been the first such a case of protest, there have been more preceding it and the clamour for dropping the project is only getting stronger everyday.
Concerned quarters in Bangladesh are quick to point out its negatives. First, it is located too close to the Sundarbans, one of the world’s greatest natural heritage sites; it is the world’s largest mangrove forest. The Sundarbans is a bulwark against natural calamities like storms and tsunamis and plays a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity of the country. But a coal-based plant so near it, could threaten or degrade its environment seriously and weaken its protective capacity during storms and sea surges. Experts say that emission from a coal-fired plant would increase the proportion of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in the immediate surroundings and seriously harm the bio-diversity, ecology, water quality, flora and fauna of the Sundarbans.
The concerned Bangladeshi experts and environmentalists also say that the project was hurriedly conceived and pushed through without appropriately weighing its adverse consequences. The proper assessments of its relative economic benefits, technical feasibility, social and environmental impact, have not been adequately made. The Indian side of the Sundarbans located far away, is unlikely to suffer so much like the part of the forest on the Bangladesh side. The terms and conditions of this joint venture project between India and Bangladesh are also considered unfavourable for Bangladesh. Thus, on the whole, the project appears to be against the national interests of Bangladesh.
How much will Bangladesh lose if the project is aborted at this point of time? Only some 1,320 mw of power is estimated to be the production target at this plant whereas the government’s total planned increase in generation capacity by 2020 is some 30,000 mw. So, not going ahead with this project will not matter so much for overall power production in the country. On the contrary, such a decision will make an immense contribution towards saving the country’s environment and the Sundarbans.