We want power plant, but not destroying Sundarbans: BNP
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said that the party wanted power plants to meet country’s electricity demand, but not destroying the planet’s largest mangrove forest Sundarbans.
“We want power plant, but we will not be able to protect the country’s oxygen factory Sundarbans, if we set up coal-fired power plant near it,” the BNP leader said while delivering his speech as the chief guest at a meeting at Khulna press club on Saturday.
According to Greenpeace study, two 660 megawatt units of the 1320 megawatt coal-based power plant, which would burn 5 million tonnes of coal every year, would be one of the largest sources of air pollution in the country.
High volume of fly ash will be generated from the power plant, which would increase the levels of toxic particles, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide over the entire south-western Bangladesh and around 100km to the northeast due to prevailing wind patterns.
Rizvi said, “The power plant on the bank of the Pashur River will turn south-western region of Bangladesh into a chamber of toxic gas.”
The proposed Bangladesh- India Friendship Power Company Ltd. (“BIFPCL”) coal-powered plant is financed by the Indian government and will be constructed by India’s state-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.
Many international organizations including UNESCO asked the government to stop the construction of the coal power station. The UN’s world heritage body said the plant could damage the world heritage-listed Sundarbans.
Local inhabitants threatened with displacement by the plant and the people across the country protested against the government’s plans to build the coal-fired power plant near the World Heritage-listed forest.
“This undemocratic government only wants to make India happy and that’s why they are firm to implement the project despite opposition among people,” the BNP leader added.
(The article originally published in Bangla edition of Jagonews24.com is written in English by Zahidul Islam)
