The Rampal power plant began operation in late 2022 without an effluent treatment plant and has since been discharging untreated waste into the Pasur and Maidara rivers next to the Sundarbans.

It was also a violation of a condition set by the Department of Environment.

Experts say the waste is harming aquatic life and potentially making fish unsafe for consumption.

"Wastewater is being discharged into the Maidara [which converges with the Pasur next to the power plant] without proper treatment. This is very concerning in terms of aquatic biodiversity and water quality," reads a Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) report published in September.

The first unit of the coal-fired power plant, officially titled 2x660 MW Maitree Super Thermal Power Project, began operations in December, 2022, and the other unit in March this year, according to the Power Division website.

The river will be destroyed. This will harm the entire food chain in the Sundarbans. No technology can fix this damage."

— Anu Muhammad

Malik Fida A Khan, executive director at the CEGIS, says the level of mercury, a toxic metal, has risen in the rivers.

"The power plant is not the only factor here. There are cement factories in the area too," he says.

The plant, with a rated capacity of 1,320 megawatts, occupies 915 acres, 14km north of the Sundarbans, a World Heritage Site recognised by UNESCO.

Between February and April this year, CEGIS teams found that the civil works for the ETP had been done, but the mechanical and instrumental components were incomplete.

Prof Ainun Nishat, noted expert on water resource management, said, "If the water [from the power plant] doesn't go through the ETP, the polluted water will flow to nearby water bodies and cause serious damage."

Since February 2023, the CEGIS collected water samples from 14 places near the power plant on four occasions. It found that the mercury level was less than 0.001 mg/L. The government set acceptable level is 0.0001mg/L.

Prof Abdullah Harun Chowdhury, who teaches environmental science at the Khulna University, says phytoplankton and zooplankton, the microscopic organisms vital to aquatic ecosystems, absorb mercury. From there, mercury enters the body of fish and reduces its ability to breed.

Humans and other animals consuming such fish will face health impacts, he adds.

"Local villagers bathe in the river and use the water for daily chores. But the water is no longer safe for such use."

The CEGIS report marks the power plant as "partially compliant" with the plant's Environmental Management Plan

In 2017, Greenpeace released a study titled "Projecting the air quality, toxic and health impacts of the Rampal coal-fired power plant".

The study warned that the plant would emit so much mercury that fish in approximately 70 square kilometres around it would become unsafe for consumption.

According to Noor Alam, convener of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon in Bagerhat, the water of Passur has become evidently polluted.

The CEGIS report highlights several other violations by the Rampal plant.

There are two settling ponds to collect silt, but during heavy rains, the ponds get flooded and the water from the construction site reaches the Maidara without any proper treatment. "This is very concerning in terms of aquatic biodiversity and water quality," reads the report.

During the visit, team members found that many parts of the permanent drainage channel have been blocked by dirt and other construction residuals.

This has created water logging in the drain and an unhealthy environment for the workers, says the report.

The living quarters of the workers around the plant were unsanitary, with organic and inorganic waste scattered on roads.

The CEGIS team also found that the conveyor belt, which takes coal from the jetty to the plant, was uncovered, allowing coal dust to disperse in the air and water.

Waste bins in the plant are of 650 colour codes, but the labels are not Bangla or English, making it difficult for workers to properly segregate waste.

The CEGIS report recommends immediate cleanup of the banks of Maidara, proper disposal of construction waste, appropriate dust control mechanisms, and prevention of the spread of coal ash into the environment.

Prof Anu Muhammad, who advocated against the plant when the project was conceived, says, "We told them that this project would pollute rivers."

If the plant continues operation, the river will be destroyed…. "It will harm the entire food chain in the Sundarbans. No technology will be able to fix this."

The government must find a way to stop this plant. "Stopping it may pose some challenges, but letting it operate will be much worse."

Sharif Jamil, member secretary of Dhoritri Rokhhay Amra, said, the pollution in the Passur and Maidara was spreading to canals and rivers within the Sundarbans.

Chemistry Prof Abdus Salam of Dhaka University said, "When coal is burned, it produces substances like mercury, sulphur dioxide, and hydrocarbons. If these are not treated by the ETP before being released into the water, biodiversity will suffer. They are violating the law."

The CEGIS has yet to determine the volume of waste produced by the plant, says its Executive Director Fida.

As of last month, the project made 98 percent progress.

Asked why the Department of Environment had not taken action when the condition for ETP was violated, Masud Iqbal Shameem, director (environment clearance), recently said he was not aware of the CEGIS report.

"We will look into the matter soon. Our local office will also look into it," he said.

RAMPAL GM SAYS ETP WORKS

When reached out, Anwarul Azim, deputy general manager of the plant, sent a text saying that the CEGIS report did not "give the correct status of ETP commissioning, which has already been communicated to it with a request to issue a corrigendum in this regard.

"ETP was fully operational even before commissioning of the Unit-I and its performance guarantee test was done in September 2023."

No water is being discharged from the ETP and the treated water from the ETP is reused by the plant, he said.

"Direct water discharge consisting of rejection from reverse osmosis plants [high salinity water due to presence of natural salt] ... is being discharged, as it is techno-economically not feasible to treat and utilise them.

"All other waste water from the plant and sewage etc are treated and the treated water is reused for which Full-fledged ETP and Sewage Treatment Plant are operational.

"The maximum possible length of jetty conveyor is covered."

"As far as mercury is concerned, the power plant has no source of the pollutant ... ."