Probir Bidhan: A Journo's Diary

Sharing Information And Thoughts

Category: Waterbodies

SWATCH OF NO GROUND: Bangladesh’s mysterious submarine canyon

Formed over 125,000 years ago from the Ganges River systemHome to Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, Bryde’s whalesAdventurous tourists want easy access to the site This feature was published in Dhaka Tribune on February 24, 2024. In 2021, the people were surprised as to whether there were whales in the Bay of Bengal as they discovered a…

24/02/2024
High Court may act now for Rampal

The High Court on Tuesday will hear for the second day a public interest litigation four lawyers have filed against a massive coal-run power plant in Bangladesh coastal district Bagerhat and construction of an anchorage for unloading coal in the reserve forest area. The plant site has 1834 acres on the bank of a river…

01/10/2013
DoE defends approval of EIA for Sundarbans coal plant

The Department of Environment (DoE) gave the EIA green signal after eight revisions and imposing a number of conditions to protect the World Heritage Site, declared by the Unesco, and river Pashur which is a sweet-water dolphin sanctuary. The final environmental clearance for the project would be given after implementation of the project “only if…

17/08/2013
Tanneries in Dhaka: No more menace please!

Probir K Sarker & Abu Bakar Siddique Published in Dhaka Tribune on June 5; bottom has latest development When tanneries were initially allowed to operate in the Hazaribagh area, at the western part of the capital, close to Turag river, no planning had taken place. Now, the number of tanneries exceed 200, over the last six decades,…

01/07/2013
Nuclear power plants: Bangladesh and global

Bangladesh plans to produce 2000MW of electricity by 2023 and another 4000MW by 2030; the plan for setting up the country’s first-ever nuclear power plant was initiated in 1961; The estimated cost of the proposed plant at Rooppur in Ishwardi upazila of Pabna district is set $1.5-2bn; The first phase (1000MW) of the project will…

25/06/2013
ইটের ভাটা মালিকেরা কি এতই শক্তিশালী!

নগরায়ন ও শিল্পায়নের দ্রুত বিকাশের কারনে নির্মান উপকরনের মধ্যে ইটের ব্যবহার দিন দিন বাড়ছে পাল্লা দিয়ে। তাই ইটের ভাটাগুলোর বিশ্রাম নেই, খুব বৃষ্টি না হলে মালিকরা চুলা বন্ধ করেনা। আর তদারকী কর্তৃপক্ষেরও নিষেধ নেই, উন্নয়ন বলে কথা। হুম, উন্নয়ন কে না চায়! কিন্তু কিসের বিনিময়ে সেই উন্নয়ন (!) অর্জিত হচ্ছে এবং সেই অর্জনের ভাগীদার কে…

29/05/2013
শ্রমিকের অধিকারঃ আন্দোলন বনাম দালালী

শ্রমিকশ্রেনীর জন্য কি করেছে আনু মুহাম্মদ-টাইপ নেতারা? এরা তো বাল-ছাল, খালি পারে ভাষন দিতে। এই টাইপ একটা প্রশ্ন ছিল একজন বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় শিক্ষার্থীর। আমার এই পরিচিত বালকটি যেটা মুখ ফস্কে বলতে পারেনি তা হলো, ‘একটা শ্রমিককে তো চাকরী দিতে পারলো না’… যার টাকা আছে, সে টাকা বানাতে সেটা খাটাবে, তার দরকার শ্রমিক আর সেই গরীব-অর্ধশিক্ষিত-চাষাদের ঠিকভাবে কাজে…

13/05/2013
Who is to stop these polluters?

Highly polluting brickfields are still operating unabated across the country including on the outskirts of Dhaka posing serious health risks in this dry season, harming the nature and damaging arable land. Most of these conventional chimneys are baking bricks round the clock burning wood, tyres and low-quality coal. Replacing the chimneys with improved modern ones…

24/02/2013
Save the Sundarbans, shift Rampal coal-power plant

The govts of Bangladesh & India have started officially the work of Rampal power plant by holding the first-ever meeting of the joint venture company in Dhaka. The Bangladesh govt seems to be pleased to show India that it can keep its words. The Daily Star has again done the job of a mouthpiece of…

01/02/2013
New booster in Russia-Bangladesh relations?

The Russian experts claim that the third generation technology has the capacity to stay fine in earthquake, tsunami and wartime. MoU done for a pre-feasibility study over the 2000MW Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. Well, this project is underway in Pabna, revived a couple of years ago, initiated in 1967. The Russian govt will give $500…

17/01/2013
Objection! Punish the housing and real estate demons Ashiyan & Bashundhara!

Realtors have warned Rajuk not to interfere in its ongoing fair in Dhaka, means there could be some unauthorised plots/apartments sold in the fair like the previous days. I was very disappointed to read the story in Wednesday morning. Last year, the High Court declared 77 such schemes “illegal” and some of those are very…

03/01/2013
ছাত্ররাজনীতিতে পাশবিকতা নয়, সন্ত্রাসবিরোধী ঐক্য চাই; মডেল জাহাংগীরনগর

সাম্প্রতিক সময়ে ক্যাম্পাসে খুনীদের আনাগোনা বেড়ে গেছে, এরা আবার ছাত্রলীগের ছত্রছায়ায় ও প্রক্টরের মদদে বহাল তবিয়তে আছে। জুবায়ের হত্যা মামলায় পুলিশ ও প্রশাসনের ঢিলেমি, শিক্ষক নিয়োগ আর নানাক্ষেত্রে অনিয়মের বাড়াবাড়ি চলছে। এই অবস্থায় আশা করি জাহাঙ্গীরনগরের বর্তমান শিক্ষার্থীরা আলোচনার মাধ্যমে একটা দীর্ঘমেয়াদী কর্মসূচি নির্ধারন করবে। কেননা বর্তমান রাজনীতি + রাষ্ট্র + সমাজব্যবস্থা দেখে মনে হচ্ছে…

13/12/2012
Impacts of brickfields neglected, still!

We are so constrained a people, situationally and conditionally, that we tend to ignore many implied ills for a single apparent gain. Such an issue is the ever-expanding “brick-making industry”, given the fact that brick appears to be an essential item in this era of urbanisation and industrialisation. But, unfortunately, many consequential problems have arisen…

25/11/2012
হায় ফুলবাড়ি! তোমার কপালে কি কেবল দু:খ লেখা?

[slideshow]এই বিষয়ে লেখা ঠিক আগের ব্লগটিতে আশংকা করেছিলাম “এসব কর্মকান্ড প্রতিহত করতে চাইলে জনগনের উপর আবার খড়গহস্ত হবে বর্তমানে শেখ হাসিনার তত্বাবধানে থাকা পেটোয়া বাহিনী!” হ্যাঁ, তাই হয়েছে আজ। ফুলবাড়িতে স্থানীয়দের জনসভা বানচালে সরকার ১৪৪ ধারা দিয়েছে। আমি ধিক্কার জানাই। এশিয়া এনার্জিকে আবার উন্মুক্ত খনি খননকাজে সহযোগিতা করার সিদ্ধান্ত বাস্তবায়নের পূর্বে মাননীয় প্রধানমন্ত্রী আপনার উচিত…

23/11/2012
Brickfields like necklace for Dhakai people

[slideshow] When will we go tough against the polluters who bully laws, and harm people and the environment only for profits? Will the time come after witnessing a disaster or in the beginning of a gradual decline, or must before whole system collapses? However, in the case of ensuring clean environment, I prefer ‘better late…

15/11/2012
Bangladesh’s real estate and housing firms big polluters

Realtors real violators L-R: Filling low-lying wetlands and destroying aquatic life and ecology. Not following the directives related to the surroundings of a site including keeping open space. Photo: STAR (left), writer (right) Published in The Daily Star on November 10, 12 Even though the Department of Environment ‘DoE’ and Rajuk have been penalizing real…

10/11/2012
ফুলবাড়িঃ শুধু প্রতিশ্রুতিভঙ্গ নয়, এটা লুটপাট

উন্মুক্ত কয়লা খনি ও এশিয়া এনার্জিকে বাংলাদেশ থেকে তাড়ানোসহ ৬দফা দাবিতে আগস্ট মাসজুড়ে আন্দোলনের এক পর্যায়ে ২৬ তারিখে আইনশৃঙ্খলা বাহিনী গুলি চালায় আন্দোলনকারীদের উপর যাদের মধ্যে এলাকার ছেলে-মেয়ে-বুড়ো সবার পাশাপাশি সারা দেশ থেকে সমব্যাথীরাও ছিলেন। আমিন, সালেকিন ও তরিকুল প্রাণ হারালেন। তখনকার বিএনপি-জামায়াত জোট সরকার সমঝোতায় আসতে রাজী হলো ৩০ তারিখে। রাজশাহীর মেয়র মিজানুর রহমান…

05/11/2012
Open-pit, Asia Energy (GCM plc) prioritised again for Phulbari mine!

[slideshow] The government panel to assess a suitable coal extraction method has, evidently, suggested open-cut method for Phulbari mine and review of a previous proposal by a multinational company citing many reasons to establish the opinion. The news was published first on Saturday by The Daily Star, which has been questioned for its pro-government…

21/10/2012
Be careful about land grabbers Ashiyan City, Bashundhara

Now we see the Ashiyan Group campaigning thoroughly for its mega project ‘Ashiyan City’ near Dhaka airport raises the eyebrows of people who know that this is not a ‘valid one’, though it is in papers. The firm, a member of realtors’ group REHAB, is advertising vastly on the top selling newspapers, including Prothom Alo.…

16/10/2012
Top firms polluting much

[slideshow] Pollution in Savar area When the local businesses are growing fast, it’s alarming to witness that many renowned companies have been ignoring environmental rules. These incidents are recently being revealed thanks to the enforcement drives by the Department of Environment (DoE), led by a director, Mohammad Munir Chowdhury. This man must be applauded, though…

16/10/2012
Key rivers encroached by grabbers as government backs

The Daily Star Environment September 29, 2012 Click to see photos of Buriganga Are the top government officials, specially the public representatives and public servants, all aware of the significance and importance of the four rivers around the mega city Dhaka? Do they have any long-term plans to save these rivers from still unabated encroachment…

29/09/2012
Relocation of industries a must to make Dhaka City liveable

Published in: The Daily Star August 23, 2012 The number of industries in Dhaka is huge, and it is ever-increasing while causing serious pollution to water, air and land of the densely-populated capital. Although there are quite a few designated industrial areas in Dhaka, many industries have been set up in different other areas too, cashing…

23/08/2012
Let’s save the environment, Earth

Left: Denudation of forests goes on unabated. Right: River water remains polluted to the extreme. The Daily Star/Environment August 4, 2012 Amid growing industrialisation and pressure of increasing population, and consequent massive pollution due to gross violation of environmental rules, the government has cut this year the budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Environment and…

04/08/2012
Business, protection of environment equally important

Ship-breaking: Still considered a hazardous polluter The Daily Star June 30, 2012 It was audacious, but at the same time a logical sequel of irregularities by government officials, to see major business leaders of the steel mills, re-rolling mills, plastic factories and brickfields demanding that they be relieved from being penalized for polluting the environment.…

30/06/2012
Rio+20 roundup, and Bangladesh

Is ‘green economy’ the answer? The Daily Star June 17, 2012 The UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) must take decisive action on population and consumption regardless of political taboos or it will struggle to tackle the alarming decline of the global environment. The warning came from the world’s leading scientific academies on Thursday. “The…

16/06/2012
Buriganga must live amid industrial development and urbanisation

Save the lifeline from going deadly and dying L-R: The pitch black water tells the tale of the river’s extreme pollution. Indiscriminate dumping of solid waste not only pollutes the river but desperately shrinks its flow. Probir Kumar Sarker The Daily Star June 9, 2012 Millions of people living and working on the Buriganga and…

09/06/2012
Save Savar from further environmental degradation

L-R: Brickfields in Ashulia burn firewood and emit carbon in the air. Discharge from industrial establishment at Bank Town polluting adjacent waterbody. Click for more photos The daily Star May 26, 2012 Environment Probir Kumar Sarker Over the recent years, Savar is experiencing immense pressure of new industrial, commercial and residential establishments. But most of…

26/05/2012
Guest birds avert JU sanctuary?

The lakes a year ago and at present. Photos: Monwar Hossain Tuhin/JU teacher & Palash Khan/The Daily Star Published on May 12, 2012 Environment The Daily Star The number of guest birds coming every year to Jahangirnagar University (JU) lakes since the eighties has been falling for the last few years in such a…

13/05/2012
Shipbreaking saves iron, steel imports, say industrialists

bdnews24.com Sep 3, 2009 Bangladesh’s shipbreaking industry, operating along the Chittagong coastline, and under fire for environmentally unsound practices including destruction of forests and coastal pollution, remains the only local source of raw materials for the country’s iron and metal industry, industrialists said Thursday. The breaking yards supplied over 1.5 million metric tonnes of scrap…

04/09/2009

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