A giant coal-fired power plant approved by Bangladesh could drastically worsen air pollution for millions and cause the early deaths of 6,000 people over its lifetime, Greenpeace said Friday. But in a new report Greenpeace warned emissions from the plant represented one of the single largest threats to air quality for millions living across Bangladesh and as far as neighbouring India. Scheduled to open in 2018, the plant is projected to discharge nearly 125,000 cubic metres of chemically-tainted water every day into nearby water catchments, Greenpeace said. The UN warned in October that the plant would “irreversibly damage” the pristine forest, which was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 1997. The project has galvanised street protests in Bangladesh, with campaigners calling for the plant to be scrapped or relocated.

Source: Dhaka Tribune May 05, 2017 08:26 UTC