WEF Session on Climate Change: Hasina defends Rampal plant
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina once again strongly defended the construction of Rampal power plant in Bagerhat when former US vice-president Al Gore raised the issue in a plenary session of the 47th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum.
She invited Al Gore, an environmentalist, to visit Bangladesh and see for himself what is happening in Rampal.
Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg, HSBC CEO Stuart Gulliver and Cofco Agri CEO Jingtao Chi also took part in the plenary session titled “Leading the Fight against Climate Change” at the Congress Hall in Davos on Wednesday evening.
Briefing reporters after the event, PM's Deputy Press Secretary Md Nazrul Islam said the premier blasted those waging a movement over the Rampal power plant.
“I don't know exactly what they want and what their intention is... they might have a different intention,” she said.
Those opposing the Rampal plant could not provide the government with any logic as to why and how it would affect the environment, the PM said, adding that she urged them to see the power plant site, but they did not respond.
Hasina said her government took all measures to protect the environment. “As I'm the prime minister of the country, nobody is more concerned than I am over any issue.... I won't allow implementation of any project where there is a possibility of any damage.”
The Rampal power plant is being set up around 14km away from the outer boundary of the Sundarbans while it is about 70km off the world heritage site, she pointed out.
“We've taken all kinds of measures to protect the environment of the Sundarbans and the surrounding areas as well as to protect the habitat and biodiversity of that region,” the premier added.
Hasina said coal would be transported to the power plant site from deep sea in covered barges having low-sound engines and therefore “there is no possibility of environment pollution”.
Referring to the construction of Barapukuria coal-fired power plant in Dinajpur, she said her government started setting up the plant in 2000.
There was no negative impact on the densely populated and green area of Barapukuria although two sub-critical plants were constructed there. The land in the area has become more fertile and more rice is being produced there, she told the WEF meeting.
The PM mentioned that construction of the 3rd coal-based plant in Barapukuria was underway.
“Barapukuria is a sub-critical power plant. There's a gulf of difference between a sub-critical and an ultra-supercritical power plant. Supercritical plants emit 40 percent less carbon, sulphur and nitrogen gas compared to sub-critical ones. It's possible to bring the level of pollution to zero in an ultra-supercritical plant.”
About her government's steps for afforestation in the country, she said the forest coverage of the country was only 7 percent in 1996 when she first took office and the forest coverage is now 17 percent. “The next target is to further raise it to 25 percent,” she said.
Asked how she would tackle the situation if the sea level continues to rise and submerges vast areas of the country, Hasina said her government took various measures to face such adverse impacts of climate change like creating green belts in the coastal areas through afforestation in the newly emerged chars, creating a Climate Change Trust Fund with local funding of $400 million apart from implementing various adaptation and mitigation programmes.
The problem is not created by countries like Bangladesh, rather by the developed ones as carbon emission is causing global warming and thus leading to rise in sea level, she told the programme.
“The rich and the developed countries have their due responsibility to assist these climate vulnerable countries like Bangladesh as well as island nations,” the PM added.
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