Green body seeks Rampal Power Plant EIA report

Poribesh Bachao Andolon (Poba), an environmental organisation, has sent a letter to the Department of Environment (DoE), seeking its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report and other documents of the proposed Rampal Power Plant in Bagerhat.

Poba sent a letter to the DoE director general on Tuesday requesting it to provide the Rampal Power Plant EIA report, which got the DoE approval recently.

The copy of the letter was also sent to the Environment and Forests secretary, Power secretary and the Power Development Board chairman,Poba coordinator Atique Morshed told UNB.

The EIA is an assessment of the possible positive or negative impacts that a proposed project may have on the environment, consisting of the environmental, social and economic aspects, reports UNB.

The DoE, earlier this month, approved its environment clearance to set up the proposed 1,320-megawatt power plant near the Sundarbans.

But, environmental experts warned that if the government implements the proposed power project near the Sundarbans, it will destroy the ecosystem, biodiversity and wildlife of the world’s largest mangrove forest.

They said if the power plant is set up at the proposed location, Bangladesh, as a signatory country, will violate the conditions of the Ramsar Convention.

Bangladesh signed the Ramsar Convention in 1972 aimed at conserving the world’s natural forests and wetlands. Bangladesh and India in 2009 signed a deal to set up two power plants in Shapmari and Katakhali, nine kilometres away from the Sundarbans.

A total of 1,834 acres of land has already been acquired to set up the power plants. The project is expected to be inaugurated next month.

Aiming to put pressure on the government to cancel the power project, the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports has already announced a long-march from Dhaka for September 24, which is expected to reach Rampal on September 28.