The government is not paying heed to anyone’s claims about the adverse effects that the Rampal power plant will have, said speakers at a programme organised on Saturday by the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports.
The government and people concerned with the project are propagating confusing information and lies at home and abroad regarding the Rampal power plant, alleged Jahangirnagar University teacher Professor Anu Muhammad.
“Agricultural lands and drinking water have been greatly damaged by the Barapukuria coal power plant. And the coal-fired Rampal plant will destroy the Sundarbans as well,” he said.
He suggested that, even if it was more expensive, power could be bought from India, which is building a 5,000MW solar power plant in Rajasthan.
Dhaka University teacher Dr. Tanjim Udddin Khan said: “Fly ash management is a great challenge for a coal based plant.”
He said the project had been undertaken to suit political purposes.
Engineer Kallol Mostafa said the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of Rampal power plant was insufficient. “Only the Initial Environment Examination (IEE) has been done, which is partial and not enough,” he said. He also alleged that the army had been deployed to the area to intimidate people.
Mostafa said the 1,320MW coal-fired Rampal power plant would emit 5,200 metric tonnes of sulfur dioxide per year. The plant will be turned into a 2,640MW power plant in future, he said.
“It will cost Tk2.08bn for Flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) per year while only Tk290m was proposed for the whole maintenance,” he claimed.
“Loading and unloading coal in the Sundarbans is an insane thought,” he added.
Dr. Pinaki Bhattacharya, a teacher of environmental toxicology at the American International University, Bangladesh (AIUB), told the Dhaka Tribune: “It is clear from EIA report of the project that non-professionals were involved in checking the health issues regarding the adverse effects of this project.”
