UNESCO unhappy over Bangladesh role to save the Sundarbans

Dissatisfied with the government’s role in not fulfilling its pledges to save the forest, the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO recommended that the Sundarbans be included on the 'World Heritage in Danger' list.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) said the Bangladesh government was very slow in halting the construction of the Rampal power plant and it did not respect the decision to disallow factories in the vicinity of forest.

The recommendation was released on 7 June while the heritage committee will take a final decision at its annual meeting in Azerbaijan on 30 June-10 July.

The report submitted by the Bangladesh government over saving the world heritage and the review of the World Heritage Committee will be discussed in the meeting.

In 1997, following the government’s petition, UNESCO recognised the Sundarbans as a World Heritage on the condition that no activity be undertaken that harms the forest, one among the largest mangrove forests on the planet as well as home to the Bengal Tiger.

Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Md Shahab Uddin, disagreed with the UNESCO observation saying that “Sundarbans is 13 km away from the Rampal power plant.” He said, “There are nuclear power plants adjacent to the forests in many countries—the forests were never affected by these.”

There will be no harm to the Sundarbans, the climate change minister said adding that, the government will put forward its arguments to retain the forest’s prestige as a world heritage.

Regarding the government report, the World Heritage Committee said Bangladesh said it would not allow setting up any industry in the vicinity of the Sundarbans before conducting a Structural Environment Assessment (SEA).

Bangladesh did not stop the construction of Rampal power plant following the UNESCO decision, the committee observed.

The government had approved 190 industries and factories within 10 kilometres of the Sundarbarns while 154 industries and factories are running in the area labeled as ecologically critical area (ECA).

It is natural to be stripped of the honour if the rules and conditions to retain the Sundarbans as a world heritage are violated, said Sultana Kamal, convener to the national committee to protect the Sundarbans, but said there was "still time” to save the forest.

“At the World Heritage Committee meeting the government should pledge afresh to remove the industries and factories from the areas close to the Sundarbans,” she said adding, “It should also adopt effective measures to save the forest.”

*This report, originally published in Prothom Alo print edition, has been rewritten here in English by Nusrat Nowrin