The Cox’s Bazar district unit of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) has demanded an immediate halt to the construction of a road on the dunes between Sugandha and Kalatoli points of Cox’s Bazar beach, alleging violations of laws governing ecologically critical areas (ECAs) and directives of the High Court.
The environmental group submitted a memorandum to the prime minister on Sunday, which Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md A Mannan received at noon.
BAPA Cox’s Bazar unit president Zafar Alam, general secretary Karim Ullah Kalim and other leaders were present.
In the memorandum, BAPA demanded that construction on the beach dunes be stopped and that punitive action be taken against those responsible for violating state laws.
Meanwhile, the Department of Environment has asked the concerned authorities to comply with existing laws and regulations before carrying out any activity that alters the dunes’ natural features, pending an assessment of the environmental and coastal risks associated with the road project.
The department sent a letter to project director ASM Rashedur Rahman and National Development Engineers (NDE) general manager Md Ariful Islam on Saturday.
Signed by Zamin Uddin, director (additional charge) of the Department of Environment’s Cox’s Bazar district office, the letter asked the project authorities to comply with relevant regulations, government directives and court orders.
It also sought eight categories of information, including the approved project design and environmental clearance.
The letter said officials from the Department of Environment inspected the road-building site on the visible dunes between Sugandha and Simon Beach points.
During the inspection, they found excavators leveling sand on the dunes near Sugandha point for road construction.
According to the department, dunes serve as an important natural defence system along the coast. Altering their natural structure and topography could increase the risks of coastal erosion, changes in sand movement, tidal surges and cyclone-related hazards, while also adversely affecting the coastal ecosystem.
The department therefore said the road’s necessity, location, and design, along with its potential environmental and coastal impacts, needed proper assessment.
The project authorities have been asked to submit, within three working days, the approved project design and environmental clearance, along with an assessment of the road’s potential impacts on the dunes’ natural structure, sand movement, coastal erosion, drainage, and marine ecosystems.
The department also sought approvals and clearances from relevant government agencies, as well as land records, including khatians, plot numbers and mouza maps, relating to the land where the road is being built.
The letter noted that the Department of Environment declared 10,465 hectares of the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf sea beach an ecologically critical area in 1999.
Under the relevant regulations, ECAs prohibit the establishment of industries or institutions that pollute soil, water, air, or sound, as well as activities that destroy animal and plant habitats.
Changing land classification in an ECA without approval from the Department of Environment is also prohibited.
Zamin Uddin said the issue came to the department’s attention following recent reports in several Cox’s Bazar news outlets about road construction in the ecologically critical area.
He said the department subsequently sent the letter to the project director and the contractor.
The Department of Environment’s letter and BAPA’s memorandum to the prime minister have sparked renewed debate over the environmental impact of development activities and the need to protect the natural dunes of Cox’s Bazar beach.
By Abdu Rashid Manik
Photo: Courtesy
