Dhaka, Jan. 26 (Reuters): Police used tear gas and water cannons on Thursday to disperse demonstrators protesting against a coal-fired power plant they say will damage ecologically sensitive mangrove forest and disrupt the lives of thousands. UNESCO last year sought the relocation of the 1320MW power plant from the 742-hectare site where it is being built, saying it posed a risk to the nearby Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest and a World Heritage site. “We used tear gas and water cannon after the protesters threw brickbats at us,” Maruf Hossain Sardar, deputy commissioner of police in the capital, Dhaka, told Reuters. The government has indicated it is unlikely to abandon a push to build more coal-fired power plants, despite growing opposition from residents and environmentalists. Mohammad Anwarul Azim, a spokesman for the joint venture, the Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Co., said the plant would use new technology to reduce its impact on the environment.

Source: The Telegraph January 26, 2017 12:51 UTC