Home ›› 27 Jul 2021 ›› Governance
China, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia and some other countries supported the Bangladesh government in favour of infrastructure development near the Sundarbans, a World Heritage Site, due to their business interests, experts and civil society representatives made this observation in an online press conference on Monday.
However, the World Heritage Center recommended discontinuing the development of any large-scale infrastructures till the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) was conducted.
Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) and National Committee for Saving the Sundarbans (NCSS) jointly organised the press conference on the recommendations of the recent meeting of UNESCO World Heritage Committee on the Sundarbans.”
The review meeting took place between July 16-24 virtually and the Committee discussed the status of 191 World Heritage Sites including Sundarbans.
“China has investment in Kalapara Coal Power Plant cluster, Saudi Arabia has oil business with Bangladesh while Russia has investment in Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, they opposed World Heritage Centre’s recommendations due to their own business interest, said Sharif Jamil, General Secretary of BAPA.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan said, “It is not only an agenda of power plant development but also of geopolitics. We have electricity generation capacity far more than our demand. Clearly it is a geo-political agenda to develop large-scale infrastructure near the World Heritage Site Sundarbans. Unfortunately to get those countries’ support, the government lobbied with the money of Bangladeshi citizens.
“The condition set by the World Heritage Committee is also a political game,” she added.
The IUCN and UNESCO World Heritage Centre recommended no large scale industrial development would be permitted in the vicinity of the property, and that no further intensification of shipping and dredging would occur.
The World Heritage Committee also recommended that no further decision is made for any new large-scale industrial and infrastructure developments, including further development of the Mongla Port and the other projects that might further increase traffic on the Pashur River until the SEA for the south-western region of Bangladesh is done.
The Committee should review the progress of the SEA at the next session in 2022 with a view to considering the possible inscription of the property on the list of world heritages in danger.
Bypassing World Heritage Centre’s recommendations, the World Heritage Committee decided that the development of the large-scale industrial projects which could potentially impact the property’s Outstanding Universal Value in the absence of SEA.
The Committee also told the Bangladesh government to submit SEA and an updated report on the state of conservation of the property for review by the Committee in July 2022.
Recommendations from BAPA and NCSS include completion of the SEA independently, credible modeling of the cumulative impact of air and water pollutions from the existing and proposed industries in south-western Bangladesh should be done, making all data public, completion of EIAs for the plots in Taltoli and Kalapara and all current and proposed industries in Mongla.
BAPA President Sultana Kamal urged the government to do SEA by independent organisation and without any bias.
