Discussants at a programme in Moulvibazar on Saturday urged the government to take steps to use barren land instead of using haor land for installing solar power plants in the district.
They made the call at a roundtable held in the conference room of Moulvibazar deputy commissioner office, protesting against the initiative of installing solar power plant projects at Kawadighi, Hail Haor and Athangiri Puber Haor in the district.
They demand protection of the haor environment.
Haor Raksha Andolan, Moulvibazar, a platform of environmental activists, arranged the event.
The discussants at the programme said that the recent incidents of purchasing and selling of agricultural land in Kawadighi, Hail Haor and Athangiri Puber Haor and the initiative to set up solar power projects there raised concerns among the local residents.
They said that the work of a 10-megawatt solar power plant had already been completed at Athangiri Puber Haor and the efforts to set up a 25MW solar power plant in the same haor was under way.
Stating that the government has set a positive example by setting a target to install renewable and environment-friendly power projects to generate 500MW solar power from Moulvibazar district, they said that development must be done by protecting biodiversity, agricultural land and fisheries, not by destroying haor and natural landscapes.
Representatives of farmers and fishermen at the programme expressed fears that their livelihoods would be seriously affected if the haor land goes to privately-owned companies.
Haor Raksha Andolan leaders at the programme said that there was ample scope for setting up solar power projects without destroying the haor land in the area.
The discussants also discussed the possibility of generating wind power in the haor area.
They said that research on wind turbine technology could open up a new horizon for environment-friendly power generation in the country.
They, however, said that the protection of native and migratory birds must be ensured before launching such projects.
Moulvibazar deputy commissioner Towhiduzzaman Pavel addressed the roundtable as the chief guest, while Centre for Environment and Geographic Information Service deputy executive director AMM Mostafa Ali, genetic scientist Dr Abed Chowdhury, CEGTS director retired Lieutenant Colonel Syed Afzalul Abedin, Sylhet Agricultural University鈥檚 water resources management professor Nitun Kunda and soil science professor MA Kashem attended as special guests.
Haor Raksha Andolan, Moulvibazar鈥檚 convener ASM Saleh Sohel chaired the programme.