Dhaka to furnish reply to UNESCO queries July 22  

Dhaka is likely to answer the queries of World Heritage Committee of UNESCO on the state of Rampal, Taltoli and Kolapara coal-based power plants on Payra river and 190 other industrial projects around Mongla Port, which are active near the Sundarban, the World's largest mangrove forest, in virtual session on July 22.
The main focus of the discussion is on the Payra river ecosystem, in which these coal power plants are being constructed, opens out into the Bay of Bengal, which is expected to lead to a substantial increase in shipping and dredging activities.
"We are set to reply to all the queries of the committee, we are hopeful that we would be able to satisfy the committee in the next meeting schedule to be held from July 16 to July 31 (tentatively on July 22)," Power Cell DG Mohammad Hossain told the Daily Observer on Saturday.
He said the government provided additional information and clarifications requested by the mission team on December 30 in 2019 and May 13 in 2020.
Earlier, the Heritage Committee was satisfied with the party's (Bangladesh's) reply to the committee's queries and decided not to keep the Sundarban on the "Danger" list of World Heritage sites and asked Bangladesh to complete the scientific and participatory Strategic Environmental Survey (SEA) in the Sundarban area and the entire southwest part of the country to save the mangrove forest.
According to UNESCO's decision, Bangladesh will ensure that no "large-scale industrial and/or
    infrastructure developments" are allowed to proceed before the SEA for the Southwest region of Bangladesh, including the Sundarban.
"The government did not appear to have complied with the recommendations of the UN's World Heritage Committee meetings in 2017 and 2019, which categorically said that any heavy industrial construction work be stopped until an independent, scientific and participatory Strategic Environmental Survey (SEA) in the Sundarban area and the entire southwest part of the country to save the mangrove forest," BAPA General Secretary Sharif Jamil said.
"We prepared our report and submitted it before the committee, however, we set to complete the SEA of Rampal Power plant soon, we engaged a consultant but the pandemic has hampered our job, we will however, continue the construction of Rampal project," Power Cell DG said.
Prime Minister's Energy Adviser Dr Towfique-e-Elahi Chowdhury, will lead the Bangladesh delegation in the meeting to continue the critical session from July 16 to July 30.
Without completing the SEA, the construction of the 1,320 MW power plant is moving on, the progress of the "Maitree Super Thermal Power Project" was 65 per cent complete as of April, Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Ltd (BIFPCL) is implementing the Tk 160 billion plant with some 7,000 staff members, of them 2,200 are Indian nationals.
Amid a huge outcry at home and abroad by environmentalists, the construction work started in April of 2017 after land acquisition. UNESCO expressed concerns over the long-term impact of the plan on the biodiversity and ecology of the mangrove forest. In 2016, a UNESCO report said hot water and chemicals to be discharged into water bodies from the coal power plant would cause significant damage to the aquatic life in the river and canal networks of the Sundarban.
Coal-based power plant creates serious environmental pollution, no country in the world usually gives permission to set up large coal-based power plant within 20km to 25km distance of forests, agricultural lands and residential areas, however, the distance of the proposed Rampal coal -based power plant from the Sundarban mangrove forest is only 14km, but the government claim it as a safe distance.
"The EIA guideline manual for coal-based thermal power plants prepared by the Indian Ministry of environment and forest in August of 2010, clearly states, the "locations of thermal power stations are avoided within 25km of the outer periphery of the followings:  Metropolitan cities, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
State Minister Nasrul Hamid told the Daily Observer that many (10) coal-fired plants which were not implemented will be left out. "This review will be reflected in the next Power System Master Plan. He said the issue is related with the Ministry of Environment."
Chief Executive of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) Syeda Rizwana Hasan asked why Bangladesh needs a harmful coal-based power plant beside the Sundarban mangrove forest when the country has surplus electricity generation capacity. She questioned why people will pay taxes of Tk 14,500 crore for some idle power plants.