Mar 10, 2016
Hundreds of protesters in Bangladesh on Thursday launched a 400 kilometer (248 mile) march in opposition to the government's plans to build two coal-powered plants near the world's largest mangrove forest region on the border between Bangladesh and India.
Work has already begun on the $1.7 billion venture, but protesters fear that pollution from the plants would destroy the forests, known as the Sundarbans, which are home to a range of species--including Bengal tigers--and are collectively a UNESCO World Heritage site.
"It's now or never. We can't allow this power plant to destroy the world's largest mangrove forest," Ruhin Hossain, one of the march organizers toldAgence France-Presse.
The New Indian Expressreports:
The four-day march of environmentalists, and cultural and political activists started at Dhaka's National Press Club and was being led by a platform of left-leaning political parties, social and cultural activists, experts and professionals -- named the National Committee on Protection of Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports, Xinhua reported.
According to Al Jazeera, the 1,320-megawatt plant already built by the Indian and Bangladeshi governments and a 545-megawatt facility planned for construction by the U.S.-based energy firm Orion are necessary to provide electricity to roughly a third of the population that currently does not have access to power.
However, the opponents say the venture would destroy a critical ecosystem that is already weakened by pollution and overpopulation. In 2014, the forests were the site of a "catastrophic" oil spill that raised fears of long-lasting ecological damage when an empty vessel struck a tanker carrying about 92,500 gallons of oil.
The Sundarbans have "saved us from cyclones, flash floods and it's our biggest protection against tsunamis," Hossain told AFP.
Anu Mohamad, the committee's member secretary, said last week, "No sensible person will deny that there are many alternative ways for electricity generation. But there is no alternative for [the] Sundarbans."
Roughly 1,000 climate activists, students, and others rallied in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka before embarking on the march.
Al Jazeera reports that at least part of the journey will take place on a bus as the activists travel from town to town to spread awareness and gather additional protesters.
"The Sundarbans is one of the pristine beauties of the world," Hossain said.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
Hundreds of protesters in Bangladesh on Thursday launched a 400 kilometer (248 mile) march in opposition to the government's plans to build two coal-powered plants near the world's largest mangrove forest region on the border between Bangladesh and India.
Work has already begun on the $1.7 billion venture, but protesters fear that pollution from the plants would destroy the forests, known as the Sundarbans, which are home to a range of species--including Bengal tigers--and are collectively a UNESCO World Heritage site.
"It's now or never. We can't allow this power plant to destroy the world's largest mangrove forest," Ruhin Hossain, one of the march organizers toldAgence France-Presse.
The New Indian Expressreports:
The four-day march of environmentalists, and cultural and political activists started at Dhaka's National Press Club and was being led by a platform of left-leaning political parties, social and cultural activists, experts and professionals -- named the National Committee on Protection of Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports, Xinhua reported.
According to Al Jazeera, the 1,320-megawatt plant already built by the Indian and Bangladeshi governments and a 545-megawatt facility planned for construction by the U.S.-based energy firm Orion are necessary to provide electricity to roughly a third of the population that currently does not have access to power.
However, the opponents say the venture would destroy a critical ecosystem that is already weakened by pollution and overpopulation. In 2014, the forests were the site of a "catastrophic" oil spill that raised fears of long-lasting ecological damage when an empty vessel struck a tanker carrying about 92,500 gallons of oil.
The Sundarbans have "saved us from cyclones, flash floods and it's our biggest protection against tsunamis," Hossain told AFP.
Anu Mohamad, the committee's member secretary, said last week, "No sensible person will deny that there are many alternative ways for electricity generation. But there is no alternative for [the] Sundarbans."
Roughly 1,000 climate activists, students, and others rallied in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka before embarking on the march.
Al Jazeera reports that at least part of the journey will take place on a bus as the activists travel from town to town to spread awareness and gather additional protesters.
"The Sundarbans is one of the pristine beauties of the world," Hossain said.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
Hundreds of protesters in Bangladesh on Thursday launched a 400 kilometer (248 mile) march in opposition to the government's plans to build two coal-powered plants near the world's largest mangrove forest region on the border between Bangladesh and India.
Work has already begun on the $1.7 billion venture, but protesters fear that pollution from the plants would destroy the forests, known as the Sundarbans, which are home to a range of species--including Bengal tigers--and are collectively a UNESCO World Heritage site.
"It's now or never. We can't allow this power plant to destroy the world's largest mangrove forest," Ruhin Hossain, one of the march organizers toldAgence France-Presse.
The New Indian Expressreports:
The four-day march of environmentalists, and cultural and political activists started at Dhaka's National Press Club and was being led by a platform of left-leaning political parties, social and cultural activists, experts and professionals -- named the National Committee on Protection of Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports, Xinhua reported.
According to Al Jazeera, the 1,320-megawatt plant already built by the Indian and Bangladeshi governments and a 545-megawatt facility planned for construction by the U.S.-based energy firm Orion are necessary to provide electricity to roughly a third of the population that currently does not have access to power.
However, the opponents say the venture would destroy a critical ecosystem that is already weakened by pollution and overpopulation. In 2014, the forests were the site of a "catastrophic" oil spill that raised fears of long-lasting ecological damage when an empty vessel struck a tanker carrying about 92,500 gallons of oil.
The Sundarbans have "saved us from cyclones, flash floods and it's our biggest protection against tsunamis," Hossain told AFP.
Anu Mohamad, the committee's member secretary, said last week, "No sensible person will deny that there are many alternative ways for electricity generation. But there is no alternative for [the] Sundarbans."
Roughly 1,000 climate activists, students, and others rallied in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka before embarking on the march.
Al Jazeera reports that at least part of the journey will take place on a bus as the activists travel from town to town to spread awareness and gather additional protesters.
"The Sundarbans is one of the pristine beauties of the world," Hossain said.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.