When Sundarban is contesting for natural seven wonders, Prajatan (Tourism) Corporation is running its campaign for Sundarban; the government the planning to establish a thermal power plant in Rampal near Sundarban, along with a shipyard and a godown.
Environmental activists saying this 1,320 MW coal-fired power plant would have serious adverse effect on the world’s largest mangrove forest Sundarban. This plant will harm the air quality and damage biodiversity.
Speakers of several environmental organizations expressed their concern on government’s plant to establish a new power plant and several other structures on a roundtable discussion at Dhaka Reporters’ unity yesterday.
BAPA general secretary Mohammad Abdul Matin, economist MM Akash, former general secretary Mohidul Haque Khan, former justice Arayesh Uddin, Save the Sundarban president Abdul Malek Gazi, environment scientist Abdus Sattar, agriculturalist Sadrul Amin, and Krishi Jomi Rakkha Committee chief coordinator Azizul Haque took part in the discussion, among others.
Sundarban also played an important role in reducing cyclone damage. Cyclone Sidr could bring much more disaster if there was not Sundarban. Not only Sundarban, mangrove forests proved lifesaving in many parts of the world. Many areas of Myanmar were saved form Cyclone Nasgis where there was well shaped mangrove forest. Those areas were worst hit where mangroves were destroyed by men. In the well known tsunami of the Indian Ocean necessity of mangrove forest was also proved in Sri Lanka.
