Stop Rampal, Save Sundarbans
Why Rampal's work is going on full swing? 
In the country where the project is buried under the file year after year, the work of Rampal is going on in the country, like the races. We know that long-term Rampal project is economically non-profit, and geographically and environmentally harmful to Sundarbans and adjoining populations.
Rampal project is terrible for three reasons:
It is coal-based; Coal is the most accessible and cheap energy source in many countries for power production, but most countries are gradually shutting down old centers (considering its impact on environment and human health) or taking help from various technologies to reduce pollution, and to establish new centers Regarding restrictions or harsh study or not allowing; In comparison, our country is inverted. The world is risking renewable energy use; Renewable energy is due to many available and affordable modern technologies; Long-term planning and farsighted need for renewable energy, which is not available in many projects in our country.
Its location is close to the Sundarbans. Regarding the climate of our country (for example - long monsoon) and weather (eg wind direction and velocity), it is to be remembered that if Rampal project is 14 km away from the Sundarbans - and this center-generated pollution will easily harm the Sundarbans. For example, due to the harmful gas and harmful substances produced by the harmful gas, the Rampal will not remain stable in the sky due to the cyclone, it will cause acid rain in the Sundarbans and adjacent places, and polluted substances, through heavy metals emissions, will be found in the Sundarbans (rivers) and such easy and cheap technologies There is no coal power plant that can filter completely); Risky thing is that water is a special component of the ecosystem in the Sundarbans ecosystem, so that the pollution will spread easily in many places than other ecosystems. The problem of environmental disorder does not occur in one day, it is silent to treat smoking cigarettes over the years; For example, in the late 1960s, due to the establishment of the factory in London (England) and the industrial revolution in London, many of the environment was polluted, subsequently reducing the contamination - and many recent recent disease-related studies show that many neurodegenerative (some 50-60 years later) (Many diseases caused by death of nerves or disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, etc.) This environment has been exposed to pollution or has grown up in this pollution; That is, all these environmental disasters will affect the long-term.
If today's Rampal project is implemented, it can get its effect in the next 20-30 years. Besides, if there is only 9% of the forest area (25% should be), Sundarbans and adjoining forests, then due to global warming and weather hostilities, Bangladesh will be affected by more natural calamities like floods, storms and more.
Apart from this, though the government has said that different types of filters will be used to reduce pollution through emissions, and will be monitored regularly - there is no confidence in this, because the project is not regularly monitored in this country, it is necessary to construct a road twice a year, because the pollution does not stop This situation of Buriganga today. It is necessary to prevent the birth of a problem to solve the problem.
If the government gets out of the implementation of Rampal project, only such environment friendly and non-profit projects will be encouraged; Then what will the government do? Should the nuclear plant react to the earthquake prone areas in Dhaka city? Standing against dangerous projects like the Rampal project, the government should tell that people want electricity but not harmful. Like other countries, the Indian government and coal-based projects are not being approved, and they are closed. The reason is that the lack of water (coal power plants require lots of water), and the environment For example, for the purpose of reducing the use of coal in the energy sector, the government of India stops the planned and approved (Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Odisha) coal plants in the four provinces (against the establishment of public opinion coal power plant), and not environmentally friendly by June 10, 2016.
Where the Indian government is canceling the establishment of the coal power plant, why there is so much enthusiasm for establishing coal power plants in the sensitive areas like Sundarbans? The government of Bangladesh is accepting - why not ignore opinion of opinion and experts? How much lobbying or how much money has been taken by the energy minister, advisers and related bureaucrats?
The finance minister said that the Rampal project will be the same; Why so desperate? In the overall consideration (generating electricity at double the price, against public opinion, the possibility of damaging the sensitive mangrove forests like Sundarbans, risks for human health etc.) It is evident that the government is so active for Rampal power project only for their coarseness and political reasons.
A yummy information is that 7% of the world's coal reserves (underground and mine) are in India. If India does not make coal power plants for its environment and human resources, this coal can be exported. It is a matter of fact that the proposed Rampal agreement does not correctly say that any company or coal from the country will be imported for Rampal project, it is said that coal can be exported from Australia, Indonesia or India.
But did the Indian government see Rampal and other coal-fired power stations as a place to sell fuel-source coal? Note that only 15% of the investment will be owned by the Indian NTPC, and the PDBKTTPC will buy electricity. That is to say, the electricity generated by us will waste our environment and the habitat, we will buy electricity from others!
On behalf of coal-based projects, people have suggested that the use of "clean coal" can prevent or reduce pollution of coal-based power plants through various technologies. Basically, these are nothing but some yummy phrases, because there is no technology to reduce coal-related pollution-these technologies are so expensive and the infrastructure needed for it is not unrealistic or possible to carry for Bangladesh. For example, by holding carbon dioxide produced, it is necessary to store space in the geospatial (or under the ocean) space, which is 30% of the power produced in a center, because this power has to come in excess, more power will be generated, to generate more electricity More carbon dioxide will be produced; That is, the whole thing is like an evil cycle.
Besides, various materials such as mercury, other chemical substances (such as sulfur-dioxide and nitrogen oxides) are expensive, and Bangladesh has to import them regularly. For example, Bush and the Obama government spent about 1.4 billion dollars in the last decade and a half to save the United States coal-based power plant pollution-it did not have any significant profit; As a result, according to the United States Environment Monitoring Committee recommendation, updating parts of the old centers, not enthusiastic to set up new centers and risking renewable energy sources.
Since Rampal (and Banshkhali) is importing coal and essential coal, these are being placed near adjoining rivers or waterways (we know that water-based dependence is easy and cheap). If the government wants to establish a power plant in Rampal with the same reason, then it can effortlessly make some structural changes to establish oil-based or baromas based power plants.
The refined oil-based center leaves less carbon dioxide than the coal-based center, there is no trouble in the mixer, and the emission of other harmful chemicals - much less; In other words, the oil-based center is good for the problem. On the other hand, biomass renewable power-source, and associated pollution are less than oil and coal-based centers. For example, approximately 50 tons of mercury is released in a coal-based center (bigger than Rampal), which is zero in biomass.
On the other hand, it is possible to set up Baramas and oil-based power plants using the proposed infrastructure for Rampal coal-based projects, since these centers generate electricity by turning the turbine into electricity by burning the fuel; Baromas or oil can be fueled by changing some additional investment or structures. May be wind-based power stations.
There can be a lot of things that are basically good and long-term projects. We have to fight for it. The government is desperate to set up Rampal power plant by all means, so the government will pressure the international organizations (for example, UNESCO, Greenpeace Environment Organization) to cancel the treaty. The issues related to this issue must be brought to the attention of international media and organizations.
Some other foreign organizations (Friends of the Earth, the Sierra Club and 350.org) have signed and signed the proposal to UNESCO and included the list of Sundarbans which are endangered to the world and they are lobbying to cancel the contract. However, it should be remembered that UNESCO and other foreign organizations should not be expected to directly intervene if they pressurize the international pressure-and their powers are limited, a governmental agreement of a sovereign state like Bangladesh should not be expected; So we have to fight our fight. The government can take steps for accountability in the Supreme Court and International Environmental Court. And there will be ongoing efforts of local environmental organizations, awareness of citizens and other efforts.
If the government wants to continue the project by ignoring everything, (now it seems to be the statement of the bureaucrats and the government's actions), we should focus on how to reduce the loss (being vocal about zero emissions, No guidance on how to take action, use the latest filters for the exhausting of gas and toxic metals; And air pollution and Nazar be forced to do; for the overall supervision of the executive team, etc.). At the same time, there is a need to recommend and efforts to use our environment-friendly renewable energy to meet the growing population pressure and energy demand of the country.
Ashraf Mahmud
Researcher, Poet and Writer of Bangladesh