Bangladesh has just over a year to meet UNESCO targets for Sundarbans

Bangladesh has little more than a year to implement recommendations by a UN monitoring mission for protecting the Sundarbans before it can start constructing the Rampal Power Plant.

The government has been allowed time until December 2018 to report on the conservation of the world's largest mangrove forest to the World Heritage Centre.

The UNESCO's draft decision for the Sundarbans, a world heritage site, was adopted with several amendments by the World Heritage Committee during its 41st session in Krakow, Poland on Wednesday.

Among other moves, it withdrew a plan to inscribe the Sundarbans in the list of heritage sites in danger by next year in case of the failure to meet the mission's recommendations.

Last year, a reactive monitoring mission, jointly conducted by the World Heritage Centre and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in March, made detailed recommendations including the necessity of a strategic environmental assessment for the south-west region.

The committee welcomed Bangladesh's decision to carry out the assessment into thermal plant's potential impact, besides the decisions to scrap the plant's second phase and also the Orion power plant.

The committee had been originally advised in the draft decision to push for the relocation of the 1,320MW coal-fired plant, a joint initiative of Bangladesh and India, whose proposed location was 14 kilometres from the Sundarbans Reserved Forest.

Turkey, which opened the discussion on the Sundarbans, spoke for reconciliation of differences in the monitoring body's analysis and the report by Bangladesh concerning freshwater flow.

Bangladesh, whose "entire river system depended on upper riparian countries", should be granted more time to sort out the complex issue with neighbours, it said. Other members agreed with Turkey in its stance during the meeting streamed live in the UNESCO YouTube channel.

The section of the draft decision which spoke of the project's relocation was modified as suggested by Turkey, adding a call to Dhaka to make sure "adequate technological measures are put in place to mitigate the impact" of the power plant.  

The committee then adopted the 11-point decision with amendments, which also included an addition by Finland requesting Bangladesh to set up a management system for shipping to reduce negative impact on the Sundarbans.  

Environmental rights activists have been campaigning against the plan, fearing largescale damage to the Sundarbans' biodiversity. The UNESCO last year wrote to the government to share its concern.

When asked about the UNESCO decision, State Minister for Energy Nasrul Hamid Bipu said: "They had placed a bar in their agenda, but it's not there anymore. So we can work now. Of course there are some concerns. We have to submit an environmental assessment report. That's all."

The foreign ministry on Thursday announced that the Rampal project was finally "endorsed" by the UNESCO after a delegation led by Tawfiq-e​-Elahi Chowdhury, energy adviser to the prime minister, defended Dhaka's stance before the committee.

>> Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited or BHEL secured $1.5 billion export order for building the two 660 MW thermal sets for the Rampal Power Plant in April this year. 

>> The Reactive Monitoring Mission in 2016 said the ash and other waste from the coal combustion process were hazardous for the environment.

>> Building the plant meant more shipping activity in the Sundarbans region, which increased the chances of oil spills and need for further dredging. 
 
>> The ten-point demand by the monitoring mission included relocation of Rampal project, capping extension plan for Mongla port, conducting strategic assessment, bar on navigating the rivers inside the forest and further dredging.               
 

Welcoming the committee's decision, the PM’s energy adviser had thanked the committee members “for helping the government of Bangladesh in striking an optimum balance between economic development and heritage conservation”.

He also assured the committee of Bangladesh's “full cooperation in ensuring conservation of the outstanding universal value of the Sundarbans, a prized possession of the nation,” the foreign ministry said.

But not everyone agreed with the government's assurance of safety.

One of the most persistent voices of opposition came from Professor Anu Muhammad, member secretary of the National Committee for Protection of Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports.

The UNESCO has not backed away from its demand for the project's relocation, which was among its central concerns, he told reporters on Friday noon.

"It's not easy for UNESCO to backpedal on the demand for relocation. This is a view founded on the analysis of scientific data, which has convinced the entire world except for some opportunists in Bangladesh."

He said the government's statement was hurried, and "it was possible that officials manipulated some words here through their lobbying".

Prof Muhammad said he plans to overlook the UNESCO's decision and press ahead with the campaign.

The main opposition party outside parliament, the BNP, for its part, has announced that it will continue supporting anti-Rampal campaigners, terming irrelevant "what an international body has to say about the project".

But Hasan Mahmud, a leader of the ruling Awami League, advised arch-rival BNP to apologise and stop its campaign against the power project.

"The committee's report once released will put all this speculation to rest. Hopefully, we will be able to access it tomorrow," State Minister for Energy Nasrul Hamid Bipu told bdnews24.com.