The United Nations has warned the Government of Bangladesh that a planned open cast mine will threaten the fundamental human rights of people living in the area.
The mine is planned for the Phulbari region of North-Western Bangladesh.
Last month, WVoN reported on a campaign to halt the development of the massive mine and a coal fired power station, which could displace up to a quarter of a million rural people.
The mine would reportedly extract 572 million tonnes of coal over the next 36 years from a site covering nearly 6,000 hectares. The project would destroy 12,000 hectres overall, 80 per cent of which is fertile agricultural land.
Opponents also claim the project could cause irrevocable damage to the Sunderbans, one of the world’s largest mangrove forests, as the mined coal would be transported through the area before being exported.
The UN statement, issued on behalf of seven independent human rights experts, comes after US-based human rights group International Accountability Project submitted an urgent appeal for action to ten UN human rights experts in September 2011.
The statement said: “The Government of Bangladesh must ensure that any policy concerning open-pit coal mining includes robust safeguards to protect human rights.
“In the interim, the Phulbari coal mine should not be allowed to proceed, because of the massive disruptions it is expected to cause.”
The statement confirmed opponents’ fears that the Phulbari development would displace vulnerable farming communities and threaten the livelihoods of thousands more by causing irreversible damage to water sources and ecosystems in the region.
The experts were concerned that a national coal policy, currently being discussed by a parliamentary committee in Bangladesh, might allow open-pit coal mining and therefore allow the Phulbari project to go ahead.
“We welcome Prime Minister Hasina’s acknowledgement that coal extraction in Bangladesh would threaten densely populated areas.
“Mixed messages, however, are emerging and investors continue to push forward,” the experts warned.
Speaking to WVoN, Rumana Hashem, one of the leaders of the campaign against the mine in the UK, welcomed the statement and hoped the Bangladesh Government would take the findings seriously.
Kate Hoshour, senior research fellow, at International Accountability Project, added: “We are extremely pleased to learn that seven UN experts took coordinated action this week by calling for an immediate halt to the project, and are hopeful that their action will avert a humanitarian and environmental catastrophe in Bangladesh.”
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