A delegation of UNESCO’s joint mission entered the Sundarbans on Wednesday afternoon to see what impact it would have on Sundarbans if the coal-based thermal power plant at Rampal, coal-based power station at Barguna’s Taltali and Patuakhali’s Kolapara were built.
Shahin Kabir, Chandpai Range Officer of East Sundarbans, said that focusing on the visit of the delegation team, Forest Department has canceled the leave of all forest officials, the Access of unwanted people and the collection of all types of Forestry and aquaculture resources.
The four-member delegation flew on a three-day visit from the Fuel Jetty of the Forest Department of Mongla to the Sailing boat on Wednesday. The delegation is accompanied by senior forest officials. They are scheduled to return from the forest on today Friday (13 December 2019).
The eastern section of the Sundarbans reports that Guy Brooke, an officer of United Nations education, science and culture organization: UNESCO’s New Delhi office, Akan Nakamura of the World Heritage Center, Elina Osipova of IUCN and Andrew White. They will stay in Sundarbans for three days. They will look at the ecological aspects of the forest, the world heritage and the current location of the biodiversity of the forest and collect data.
According to sources, the delegation will visit Sundarbans as well as industrial factories in the vicinity of the forest, especially Rampal’s coal-based thermal power plant, Barguna’s Taltali’s and Patuakhali’s Kalapara’s coal-based power station besides they will review and evaluate the adverse effects on the life and nature of the Sundarbans as a result of excavation of rivers along the International Seaport Mongla’s cattle channels. Based on the data provided by the joint mission, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will publish a detailed report on the environmental threat to the nature of the Sundarbans, the source said.
