UN team to assess impacts

The United Nations is set to weigh up the environmental impacts of several under-construction coal-fired power plants on the world heritage site Sundarbans, officials have said.
A joint delegation from the World Heritage Centre, a UN body, and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), will arrive here in December to make an impact assessment.
They will conduct the Reactive Monitoring Mission to the Sundarbans in line with a decision taken at the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee held in Azerbaijan early July.
"The main objective of the mission is to assess the state of conservation of the property, in particular the level of threats to the hydrological and ecological dynamics which underpin the outstanding universal value (OUV) of the property," according to a communiqué.
A good number of industrial units, including coal-fired power plants, are under construction near the Sundarbans which have created concerns among environmental organisations and activists at home and abroad.
The construction of the 1320-megawatt coal-fired power plant at Rampal, nearly 14 kilometres off the Sundarbans, mounted concerns. The plant is expected to start generating electricity by February 2021.
Besides, the first unit of another 1,320 megawatt coal-fired 'Payra Power Plant' located in Kalapara is scheduled to supply electricity to the national grid by December next whose impact on the forest and the ecology is also under watch of the global environmental bodies.
The World Heritage Centre and the IUCN will also assess the impacts of under-construction 350MW coal-fired power plant in Taltoli upazila of Barguna district which is very close to the Sundarbans.
A large volume of coal to be carried for power plants, spreading coal dust on river water, spewing tonnes of coal ash, and discharging mercury-laden used water into nearest rivers will put the ecology and biodiversity of the world's largest mangrove forest at risk.
The team will also see the status and planning of any dredging of the Pasur River and other rivers in surrounding area of the world heritage site.
During the visit of the UN delegation, officials concerned said, the progress achieved by the government in undertaking strategic environmental assessment (SEA) for the southwest region of the country will also come under evaluation.
In addition, the team will review the progress in finalising the national oil spill and chemical contingency plan.
The data showed that some eight vessels sank in the rivers, flowing through the Sundarbans, during the period between March 2013 and April 2018.
The 43rd session in Azerbaijan has expressed concern that 154 industrial projects upstream of the Sundarbans are currently active.
The meeting also requested the Bangladesh government to ensure that any large-scale industrial and infrastructure development will not be allowed to proceed before completion of strategic environmental assessment.

[email protected]