Delay pushes Padma afar

The pillar marks the boundary of the Rooppur nuclear power plant site. The Padma flowed nearby when the project field was acquired in the 1960s. The river has now moved so far off (the horizon in the photo) that experts worry about uninterrupted supply of water to keep the plant's reactors cool. Photo: STAR

In the four decades since acquisition of land by the Padma River for the proposed Rooppur nuclear power plant the river has moved away from the project site, jeopardising the availability of crucial water for cooling the plant's reactors.
The situation prompted the government to plan acquisition of 123 acres of more land between the project site and the current location of the river.
On Wednesday an agreement was signed between the governments of Bangladesh and Russia under which Russia will build the two-unit plant at Rooppur for Bangladesh, each having the capacity of producing 1,000 megawatts of electricity.
Soon after the project was initiated in the 1960s, 259 acres of land by the Padma River was acquired for the purpose, a section of which extended 300 feet into the river.
Ishwardi Land Officer Md Joynal Abedin said the river shifted its course around 2,000 feet or 700 metres away from where it was in the 1960s, and also became narrower with less water flow.
The project's Administrative Officer KBM Ruhul Kudus, however, said the river has moved almost 1.5 kilometres away from the project site.
As a preparation for the new acquisition of land, the district administration recently stopped leasing out a shoal which is now situated between the project site and the river.
Pabna Deputy Commissioner Md Mostafizur Rahman said, "A total of 123 acres of land including a shoal has been demarcated following an order from the science, information and communications technology ministry, and it is being preserved."
The demarcated land is owned by the government and will become part of the project, he added.
Considering the gradual fall of water level and flow in the once mighty Padma River, more land might be acquired if needed, said Chairman of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission ASM Firoz.
Water will be a must for the plant when it will be built, he said.
Russian experts already visited the site and conducted a study on the river to assess its possible situation over the next 100 years, said Ruhul Kuddus.
Additional Secretary to the Science and ICT Ministry Dilip Kumar Basak said, "A decision on the additional land acquisition will be taken soon after experts give their opinions."
The government hopes to begin construction work within its tenure. After completing the feasibility study, it will take around five years to complete the job. The estimated cost of the country's first-ever nuclear plant, however, is yet to be disclosed.