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Discovery of limestone deposit at Panchbibi

(Ref: http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/old/more.php?news_id=131981&date=2012-06-06)

Yet another piece of good news concerning deposit of natural resources beneath Bangladesh soil hit the news headlines Sunday last. Some weeks back the state-owned Petrobangla had broken the news about the presence of oil reserves, though not in large quantities, in two gas fields in the Sylhet region. Last Sunday, the GeologicalSurvey of Bangladesh (GSB) discovered, presumably, a large deposit of limestone at Panchbibi in the northwestern district of Joypurhat.

The GSB hit the limestone layer while drilling at a depth of 1458 feet and it went eight feet deep into the limestone quarry. Further drilling will be necessary to know about the actual depth of the limestone layer. The GSB director general told this paper that the limestone field might spread over an area of 100 square kilometers. The assumption, if found true, finally, would mean a great deal for the country as far as production of cement is concerned since the domestic cement factories are largely dependent on limestone imported at a substantial cost. Such imports also involve a lot of hassles on the part of the cement producers.

The case of Lafarge Cement, one of the largest producers of cement in the world, is a glaring example. Despite signing of a deal, under an arrangement reached between the governments of Bangladesh and India, to import limestone from a mine located in the Indian state of Meghalaya, the company had to go through the hassles of a long legal process. However, the Supreme Court of India handed down a verdict in July last year clearing the way for limestone import by the company. But the company in the meanwhile had suffered a substantial financial loss. Besides, any sudden hike in prices or short-supply of limestone in the international market creates problems for the local producers of cement, a major item used by the country's construction industry.

Thus, the news about the discovery of the limestone would surely be greeted by the country's cement producers. But, as it is happening in the case of exploiting a huge reserve of coal, the issue of extraction of limestone deposit over a large area might face resistance. The GSB director general, who is a geologist, is in favour of employing the open-pit mining method for extracting the Panchbibi limestone because its presence at a relatively shallow depth. All are aware of the fact that the open-pit mining of minerals such as coal and limestone ensures the maximum possible exploitation of the same.

But this particular mining method has the potential to displace some families and cause damage to the flora and fauna in and around the mine areas. But it is high time for the government and the people concerned to find out asolution to problems that might crop up while employing the open-pit mining of coal or limestone or any other mineral. A resource-hungry nation cannot afford to keep valuable minerals beneath its soil unexploited for long. The people across the country and, in the process, the economy are already paying a heavy cost, in terms of power generation, for not being able to exploit the Phulbari coal. In this context, the government should start considering all options about the ways of extracting the Panchbibi limestone. The sooner, the better.

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