Battle For The Sundarban
By Anu Muhammad
18 November, 2014
Countercurrents.org
Sundarban is not only a rare ecological treasure of Bangladesh but is also the location of Ramsar site, and world heritage site declared by UNESCO. In 1992, according to Ramsar convention also signed by Bangladesh in 1972, the Sundarban was declared as Ramsar site wetland. And at UNESCO's 21st conference of the World Heritage Committee in 1997, the Sundarban was declared a natural ‘World Heritage Site', the only one in Bangladesh .
Spread into Bangladesh and India , Sundarban is the largest mangrove forest in the world, a combination of rich eco-systems for the humanity. For Bangladesh it is much more, a question of life and death. It has protected m illions of people from so many natural disasters. This Sundarban is now under threat because of profit-mad groups from home and abroad.
Amid popular protest and despite experts' opinion against the establishment of Rampal coal fired power plant at Rampal, which is close to Sundarban, the Bangladesh government and India 's National Thermal Power Corporation keep working on the establishment of the plant. The government also allowed a Bangladeshi company Orion last year to build another power plant nearer to the forest. On 19 March, 2014 the government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China to set up another 1320 MW coal-based power plant in Patuakhali, a location that is also close to the Sundarban.
It seems that the government is aggressive in allowing problematic projects, indifferent and inactive in protecting people and environment. These projects and the government's attitude has created an environment that encourages denial of national law to protect the environment, to ignore international laws and conventions to follow certain rules for protecting ecologically sensitive area, and to pull land grabbers to rush into the area to take possession.
Grabbers' free zone
Last year a series of investigative reports in a leading English daily newspaper revealed the government's role in allowing industrialists “to purchase land and providing site clearance to install hazardous industries grossly violating environmental laws” in the Sundarban area. The reports mentioned that a number of projects including government owned silo, naval dockyard and different commercial projects sponsored by mostly persons blessed by the ruling party to be set up in the buffer zone, those “ are posing serious threats to the already vulnerable mangrove forest, which acts as a natural wall, reduces intensity of cyclones and saves life and property”. For example, “Sun Marine Shipyard, a shipbuilding company jointly owned by Mahbubul Alam Hanif, joint general secretary of the Awami League”. Others include companies and businesses like “Lithe and Fam Kom ready-made garments manufacturers, Jamuna, Amin Mohammad, Mir and Navana LP gas manufacturers, Sundarban and Confidence shipyards” . ( Daily Star , October 13-14, 2013 )
According to the reports, around 3,000 acres of land in that area, “mostly through using unfair means” already gone to the hand of few groups. Online advertisements also are available about the availability of another 1,550 acres of “industrial land” in adjacent areas being eligible for “shipyard, ship-breaking yard, oil tanker, cement factory and LP gas unit”!
Another report, published in national geographic talked about the silo, “a major food silo being built by the ministry of food across the river from the forest at Joymonirgol. The project is being implemented by Toma Group, a company part-owned by the government's jute minister, Mirza Azam. In November last year (2013) the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone on the project”.
The consequence for the poor local people, including religious minority, has already been disastrous. Many were forced to leave their homes for unknown destiny. Recent evidences in the following months show that things have become much worse.
Tiger conference and destructive projects
Ironically Bangladesh hosted a three day international conference on tiger conservation in Dhaka recently. Delegates from 13 tiger range countries attended the conference that began on September 14, 2014 . Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her inaugural speech, stated that her ‘government will do everything for conservation of the tigers'. There is no doubt that these words sound rhetorical and absurd since the government has also been backing several projects threatening Sundarban's survival, the main habitat of tigers in the region.
There are numerous research papers and articles available to show speciality of Sundarban, its ecological importance as well as its economic value and its role as mighty natural wall against natural disasters. Dr. Y. Jhala of India 's Wildlife Conservation Society, who was attending the tiger conference, said to national geographic that “There are only around five viable wild tiger habitats left in the world for long term hope. This is one of them. If you break these up into smaller parts you lose that, not ecologically, but biologically”.
Dr Abul Bashar, biologist and Dhaka University professor showed that the ecosystems in Sundarban is unique in the world, any damage in any part of the system will be disastrous to the whole system ( Sarbajonkotha, November 2014).
People in general and independent experts in particular from Bangladesh have been expressing their concern and protest against these projects in many ways. Number of research papers, investigative articles already specified the problems. Big local and national demonstrations, including 6 day Dhaka Sundarban long march, raised peoples voices; artists have written several songs and and performed plays about the Sundarban since government approval of coal fired power plant project.
Ramsar and UNESCO worries
International community and related international agencies have been making their points against harmful projects in greater Sundarban too. The Ramsar secretariat and UNESCO sent number of letters to express their concern about the fate of Sundarban because of dangerous commercial projects. Since 2011 Ramsar secretariat have been sending letters to the government of Bangladesh (GOB). These projects also made UNESCO to write letters questioning government's role and demand certain steps.
At its 35th session (UNESCO, 2011), the World Heritage Committee requested the government to submit a state of conservation report by February 1, 2013 . But the government “has not submitted the requested report”. On May 22, 2013 , the World Heritage Centre wrote a letter to the government to express their serious concern. On April 11, 2014 , the World Heritage Centre sent a letter to the government requesting further information about projects affecting Sundarban.
UNESCO also noted that the “the dredging necessary to keep the channels of the Pashur River open for navigation is likely to alter the morphology of the river channels..” Therefore the committee “...requests the State Party to ensure that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the dredging activities include a specific assessment of potential impacts.. and to submit it to the World Heritage Centre prior to making any decisions that would be difficult to reverse...” Their concern for “making any decision that would be difficult to reverse” is crucial.
Most importantly, the UNESCO committee urged the government to undertake a “comprehensive Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of development in the Sundarban” and to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2015 , “an updated report on the state of conservation..for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 39th session in 2015.” ( http://whc.unesco.org/en/soc/2868 )
That means they are expecting that the government will not proceed with the projects before doing some fresh and credible comprehensive assessments.
Protests from India
Meanwhile different organizations and experts from India have also started joining their voices to save Sundarban after realizing that (1) an Indian company is the major partner of the leading project of destruction and (2) the Sundarban spreads into India as well. Therefore, if damage is done in Bangladesh the effect will not stop at the political boundary.
On September 8, National Fishworkers' Forum (NFF) & Dakshinbanga Matsyajibi Forum, (DMF) of India had sent a letter of request to the Prime Minister of India to stop participation in the Rampal coal fired power plant project. The letter said, “Our country should not be a partner in the destruction of environment and ecology of the largest and the richest mangrove forest on our planet that provides the Bay of Bengal eco-system with the largest nursery of fish... the hundred thousand fishers and wild honey collectors dependent on the natural resources of the Sundarban forests.” http://ncbd.org/?p=1236
Sundarban must win
Will the governments of both Bangladesh and India stop advancing with weapons of Sundarban destruction or will continue denying local, national and global cry against destruction in the name of development? Evidences show the latter trend. There are reports of harassment, surveillance, threat on unwilling local people too.
It seems that local and foreign grabbers and profiteers are dominating the government's decision making process. People and environment do not have any space in their consideration. Not only have the policymakers lost the ability to understand scientific arguments, they have also lost commonsensical vision.
T here are many environmentalist groups and individuals in the country, but surprisingly many of them are still silent about the killer projects on and around Sundarban. We still hope that they and many of the international environmentalist groups will break their silence to save Sundarban soon.
Recently several theatre groups, singers, artists and writers came together in Dhaka as part of countrywide cultural campaign to registrar their protest against destructive projects in greater Sundarban and to urge all at home and abroad, national and international organizations, environmentalist groups, experts and individuals to come forward with effective role to build strong resistance against destruction of Sundarban. ( http://news.mongabay.com/2014/1028-hance-rampal-coal.html ).
The survival and growth of Sundarban cannot be compromised for profit-mad business mafia. Battle for Sundarban continues, has to be strengthened. Sundarban must win in the battle, because there are many alternatives for power generation; but we have only one Sundarban that cannot be rebuilt or replaced with any other; there is, therefore, no alternative to Sundarban.
Anu Muhammad is Professor of Economics, Jahangirnagar University , Bangladesh
Email: [email protected]
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