The water resources ministry has ordered a detailed on-site probe after local residents held demonstrations against the setting up of a solar power plant allegedly by filling up the depression of Athangiri Puber Haor in Moulvivazar.
The move comes following a recent news report appeared in 抖阴精品.
The Department of Bangladesh Haor and Wetlands Development鈥檚 deputy director for agriculture, water and environment Muhammad Tanvirul Huq confirmed 抖阴精品 about receiving the directive from the ministry.
He said that the ministry of water resources had asked him to submit a report on the actual situation of Athangiri Puber Haor by conducting an on-site investigation.聽
He said that he had talked to the local administration, farmers and the authorities involved in implementing the solar power plant and also made a photo documentation of the project鈥檚 infrastructure and Puber Haor during his two-day inspection in October 26鈥�27.
鈥業鈥檓 working to prepare an authentic report on the actual situation of the wetland on the basis of the information collected during my on-site inspection, said Tanvirul, adding that after completion he would send it to the ministry.
Athangiri Puber Haor, a cluster of wetlands covering around 300 acres of land at Kagabala union under Moulvibazar sadar upazila, is the main source of livelihoods of more than 15,000 farmers and fishing families of Athangiri, Mokambari and Noagaon villages and adjacent areas as well as a reservoir of local varieties of fishes, birds and other biodiversity resources.聽
Recently, Moulvibazar Solar PV Park, a private company endorsed by the Moulvibazar Solar Power Plant Limited, started implementing a 10MW solar power project on 100 acres of wetland they had bought from the local people.
Local people alleged that as they had already filled up most of the 100 acres land it affected the whole ecology of the Athangiri Puber Haor system, harming the fish reproduction, farming and other livelihood activities, while decimating the vast biodiversity fostered by its unique natural environment.聽聽
Local environmentalists said that the 10MW solar power project was undertaken and approved during the previous Awami League government, but its execution began in September 2024, after the fall of the regime.
They further alleged that the solar power project authorities had now begun a campaign to take over the rest 200 acres of land of Athangiri Puber Haor to set up another 25MW solar power plant, which, if implemented, would take away all the means of livelihood of the local communities.
Villagers of the affected haor jointly with the environment rights activists of Sylhet division formed a huge human chain and held a rally in Moulvibazar town on October 19, protesting at building solar plants in haors.
Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services executive director Professor Malik Fida A Khan said that filling up wetlands or changing their nature in any other way were illegal.聽
鈥楥onducting a prior assessment on the environmental impact is a must, even if they want to set up the solar panels on concrete columns,鈥� said the professor.
Probable adverse impact on the people鈥檚 life and livelihoods in the area concerned also must be scrutinised, he further said.
