‘Govt to provide full support to assess the state of Sundarbans’

Prime Minister's Energy Adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury today said that government would provide full support to the Reactive Monitoring mission of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and World Heritage Committee to further assessment of the state of Sundarbans.

"We will invite a Reactive Monitoring mission of IUCN and the World Heritage Committee. They can visit Bangladesh this winter," Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury said while talking at a press conference held at Prime Minister's Office.

He held the press conference on 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) in Baku of Azerbaijan. The session started on June 30 and ended today.

At the session, the Unesco has postponed the decision of including the Sundarbans on the List of World Heritage in Danger until next year.  In June, WHC set agenda for the 43rd session keeping the topic of putting Sundarban as a World Heritage in Danger site.

"You should keep in mind that their [Reactive Monitoring mission of IUCN and World Heritage Committee] decision is not final, rather World Heritage Committee will take the final decision," Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury said.

He said that there was a proposal to put Sundarban on the list World Heritage in Danger site. There was some negative observation regarding power plants and development activities in the area, he said.

He said that majority country did not support the proposal at the WHC session.

He said government want the team to visit the spot and make some observations. He also said that Bangladesh will accept their positive observation and will take measures accordingly if needed.

Power division secretary Ahmad Kaikaus and water resources secretary Kabir Bin Anwar also spoke at the press conference.