Rampal power plant to damage Sundarbans
Govt should cancel the project, says Dwijen Sharma
Ekushey Padak winning botanist Prof Dwijen Sharma yesterday said the government should cancel the Rampal power plant project as it would cause permanent damage to the Sundarbans.
“We are only noticing the apparent profit but not realising the long-term loss of the environment,” he told The Daily Star at a programme in the capital's Shahbagh.
Tarupallab, a nature-study organisation, organised the programme marking the 85th birthday of the botanist at the Central Public Library which Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor attended as chief guest.
The professor said the forest robbers had been grabbing the Sundarbans but the government's security forces failed to take action against them.
The government also cannot compel influential factory owners to manage waste in an organised system, he mentioned.
According to experts, the 1,320MW coal-fired plant's construction in Bagerhat would result in an ecological catastrophe for the mangrove forest and make its inhabitants vulnerable to natural disasters.
Prof Dwijen has a range of publications on ecological matters and biodiversity of Bangladesh. Any disquisition on Bangladesh's environment would remain incomplete without referencing his publications.