Wednesday, January 4th, 2017
A Call for Global Day of Protest for the Sundarbans
Scrap Rampal Power Plant, Save the World’s Largest Mangrove Forest- The Sundarbans
A Call for Global Day of Protest for the Sundarbans , January 7, 2017
The Sundarbans- the largest single tract mangrove forest, extraordinarily rich in biodiversity, a Ramsar Site, the UNESCO-declared World Heritage site is now in grave danger of losing its unique biodiversity and extra-ordinary eco-system for the planned coal fired power plant along with many other commercial projects in and around the forest. The Sundarbans, to preserve its outstanding universal value, now demand global public action for its survival.
The joint project of PDB (Bangladesh) and NTPC (India) for 1320 MW Rampal coal-fired power plant has become a deadly threat for the survival of Sundarban. In addition, it is inviting a range of national and international vested interest groups to grab forest and set up hundreds of commercial projects in and around the Sundarbans that clearly issued its death warrant. This has not only put the livelihood of at least 3.5 million people at risk, it has made the lives of around 50 million coastal people vulnerable to natural disasters as the Sundarbans have also been a huge natural safe guard against frequent cyclone, storm and other natural disasters in the country.
We hope you are aware of our 5 years long peoples movement for the cancellation of this Rampal Power plant, many friends from around the world have already expressed their solidarity for the campaign to save Sundarbans. Now it is urgent to consolidate public opinion around the world to make the resistance global. A grand rally on November 26th, 2016, in Central Shaheed Minar, Dhaka organized by the National Committee and attended by more than 15 thousand people from different parts of the country, has made a call to everybody in this planet to observe a Global Day of Protest on January 7, 2017 to raise collective voice to save the Sundarbans. We believe the observance of a global day would strengthen our unity, uphold our common spirit, and take our struggle to a new level to protect the mother-nature from the disastrous profit hungry projects. We believe that the global solidarity would also open up the opportunity to create worldwide awareness for environment and ecology-friendly power generations and sustainable development that put people and environment before corporate profit.
We hope that our fellow activists, environmental groups, political parties around the world would join our cause by expressing solidarity and taking up various forms of activities and action programs on that day. In this respect, we would like to appeal you to consider either of the following:
- Staging demonstrations/human chain and sending written appeals to the embassies of Bangladesh and India.
- Cycle rally, boat rally, theatre, songs, cartoons, masks.
- Appeal to United Nation.
- Campaigning to International Press/Media
- Sending us your protest/solidarity video messages.
We welcome any other effort or ideas from your part.
Let us raise our voice together on January 7 2017 in different parts of the world to save the Sundarbans and to make a step forward to save our mother earth from projects of mass destruction. We look forward to your participation and hope that our common struggle would further bind us together, and contribute to a stronger global movement for upholding public interest.
National Committee to Protect Oil-Gas-Mineral Resources Power and Port, Bangladesh
December 2, 2016. Dhaka, Bangladesh. Web: www.ncbd.org