The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Experts at a seminar in the city said there is no scope for densely populated country like Bangladesh to examine or experiment with coal extraction.

The 100 to 200 metres of soft sand on the upper layer of all coal deposit could not protect the open pit landslides. As a result, severe landslide could take place in and around the coalmines anytime, they said.

In the open pit system, environmental degradation will reach unbearable level causing serious hazards to human life, they added. The seminar on 'Draft Coal Policy: National Interest of Bangladesh' organised by Progressive Engineers and Architects Forum was held at Dhaka Reporters Unity yesterday.

Prof Anu Muhammad, economist, Prof Nurul Islam, Prof Md Firoz Ahmed, Nurul Kabir, Editor of New Age, among others, spoke, while engineer Harun-ur-Rashid, chaired at the seminar. Engineer Sheikh Manzura Haque presented a keynote paper.

Prof Anu Muhammad said, "Earlier foreign investment could not bring any positive impact for the country. For this reason, we should not concentrate on inviting foreign donors to the country."

The speakers said although producing coke from coking to export could play an important role for the country, but it will hamper the industrial development of the country.

If we proceed on open pit coal policy, it will be hazardous because geological complexity of coalmines and economical constraint of the country are not friendly for this, said one of the speakers.

If we preserve our coal resource underground the earth for future, it can be used as coal gasification in the long run, he said.

Speakers urged the government to identify the problems the country would face if it opts for extraction open pit of coal resource.

In other countries, research on coal resource is intensive. The government should begin research in this regard for saving our valuable resources, speakers opined.