PDB staff quarters being built on Sylhet city pond

February 15, 2014

S.A Shofiee, Sylhet :The Sales and Distribution Division (SND)-1 of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) is constructing its staff quarters and a new sub-station by filling up a big pond in its area at Amberkhana in Sylhet city. The BPDB authorities started filling up of the pond without taking any environment clearance from the Department of Environment (DoE). Director of the DoE Sylhet divisional office SM Fazlul Karim said filling the pond without any environmental clearance from the DoE is illegal and the department will take actions against PBD for this. Under the project, Central Zone Power Distribution Project-2, PDB is constructing the staff quarters and a power sub-station with 33/11 kilovolt capacity by filling up the pond in SND-1 office area at Amberkhana in the city and the work of the project is targeted to end by March this year. BPDB executives in Sylhet zone said the new sub-station is being built aiming to ensure trouble-free electricity supply and for this purpose, the pond stretching 30 decimals in its own possession is being filled.But the DoE Sylhet office sources said obtaining environmental clearance before filling up a pond is a must even if it is a private-owned one. Local environmentalists said ponds are being almost extinct from Sylhet city although once the city abounded with ponds.Due to indiscriminate filling up of the ponds, water-logging problems turn severe in the city during rainy season.During a spot visit, it was found that the pond was being filled and construction of structures was going on in full swing in Ambarkhana area. The chief coordinator of ‘Save the Heritage and Environment’ in this regard said almost all ponds of the city have already been filled up one by one. For this reason, different areas of the city get water-logged even after a short rainfall. ‘The government should take immediate steps to save the existing ponds of the city,’ he added. Director of Sylhet divisional office of DoE SM Fazlul Karim said DoE did not know anything about the construction of the sub-station by filling up the pond in Amberkhana area and environment clearance for this has not been taken from the DoE. ‘But we will take actions if it happens,’ he added.