Activists moving from Dhaka to world’s largest mangrove forest say coal plant construction threatens environment.
Hundreds of protesters have embarked on a march from the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka to the world’s largest mangrove forest region in the south, to demonstrate against government plans to build huge coal power plants near the forests.
Activists taking part in the 400km “march”, taking off on a bus convoy on Thursday, fear that pollution from the two proposed coal plants will lead to the destruction of the heavily biodiverse Sundarbans that is both a UNESCO World Heritage site and Samarco-protected wetland.
The 10,000 sq km forest region, most of which is situated in Bangladesh with a small part in neighbouring India, is home to numerous endangered species, including the Royal Bengal tigers, the estuarine crocodile, and the South Asian river dolphin.
Sundarban is the world’s largest mangrove forest and a UNESCO world’s heritage site. This proposed power plant is going to be built within 14 km of the forest, more precisely just 9km away from many reserved sections…
We need a massive uprising of concerned residents, not only but mainly in Oakland, to “buck up” our political representatives to effectively challenge the coal terminal developer. If they cannot use their political muscle to stop the coal, then going to court, backed by the overwhelming majority of Oakland residents, will be the inevitable next step. 
The Free 
