United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment Astrid Puentes Riano has welcomed the High Court’s order halting the construction of a road on the dunes of Cox’s Bazar’s ecologically critical Kolatali-Sugandha beach.
She highlighted the court’s decision in a post on LinkedIn.
On September 2, the High Court, after an initial hearing on a writ petition, ordered a halt to the construction work on the beach dunes for eight weeks.
The Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association filed the writ challenging Cox’s Bazar municipality’s initiative to construct a 1.6-kilometre road from Sugandha Point to Hotel Seagull through an ecologically critical area and a designated ‘no development zone’.
Welcoming the decision, Puentes Riano wrote that it was “excellent news from Bangladesh” that the High Court Division had ordered the suspension of road construction to protect Cox’s Bazar beach in the country’s southeast.
She said the court reached its decision after considering the potential adverse impacts of the proposed road construction in the area. She also noted that the area is ecologically critical and that Cox’s Bazar is known as the world’s longest uninterrupted natural sea beach.
The special rapporteur said any such infrastructure development must be preceded by comprehensive, integrated, independent and adequate environmental, social and human rights impact assessments. She also said states have a responsibility to assess climate change impacts.
Referring to her report on oceans, human rights, and environmental, social and human rights impact assessments, she said the report analysed these issues.
She also thanked those who brought the case before the court, congratulating the High Court for supporting the state in protecting the ocean and beach and for standing in solidarity with its responsibilities.
The right to environmental justice is an essential part of the right to a healthy environment, she added.
Cox’s Bazar Life Report
Photo: Collected
