Protect Kuakata reserve forest
The callousness being displayed by local authorities towards the degradation of the Kuakata reserve forest is alarming. According to a report by this daily, a contractor involved in a road construction project of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) in Patuakhali is extracting sand from the forest, putting it at severe risk. This is happening right under the nose of the authorities, yet no action has been reportedly taken against it.
The Patuakhali LGED office is constructing the road on both sides of the Kuakata Zero Point to improve tourist mobility. In the first phase of the Tk 22.27-crore project, the contractor—a local firm called Younus and Brothers—is filling the project area with sand to pave half of the road. According to a sub-contractor, the sand should have been purchased from the market, but instead, it is being extracted from the forest. He, however, claimed this was being done "as per the rules." But what rules could permit the extraction of resources from a protected area? Or is the contractor just doing it to cut costs?
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The Kuakata forest is protected for a reason: extracting sand from there would have detrimental effects on its fragile ecosystem. Already, a number of trees are dying due to large ditches created by the sand lifting. But it's not just the forest that is in danger. If sand lifting continues, the nearby flood control dyke—which protects the area from storm surges—could also be damaged. Are the authorities not aware of these consequences? Locals say they have complained about this to the authorities, but to no avail.
This is, of course, not an isolated case of governmental indifference towards environmental destruction. Last month, this daily reported how the Chattogram district administration had allowed a contractor to lift sand from the Ramgarh-Sitakunda reserve forest for a road widening project. Another report in August revealed how the authorities in Jashore's Chowgachha upazila turned a blind eye as local influentials lifted sand from the Marjad Bawar area, endangering nearby croplands, river protection dams, and so on.
This practice has to stop. The government must take swift action to stop extraction of sand and other natural resources anywhere it is reported. It is encouraging to learn that the Road and Highways Department has made environmental impact assessment (EIA) mandatory for all its projects. But this requirement must be extended to all kinds of construction projects. There must be no compromise when it comes to protecting our environment.
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