Georesource exploitation for socio-economic emancipation
However, "Survival of the fittest" philosophy has been practiced and executed through applying the same mechanism, "power". Therefore, power is the index of survival. The nature of execution of power from physical to nuclear, from autocratic to democratic has also been changed with time. We all cry for democracy, more for democratic rights. Unless, we also cry for democratic duties, the fulfilment of democracy will be hard to achieve. Exploitation scenario, in the name of democracy, will continue to worsen unless a proper "give and take" mechanism is practiced ensuring right to survive for all individuals. Until the coupling between the government and the people is ensured, the sustainable fruitful production with respect to socio-economic emancipation will be hard to achieve.
However, the changes in the nature of execution of power always have been based on gaining control of economic power by the powerful -- over the powerless. Here comes the question of socio-economic emancipation for the benefit of humanity. Socio-economic emancipation of the people and of the nation are hard to come by if the socio-economic theories are practiced badly or selfishly.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. History of exploitation
Our predecessors found georesources and exploited them. They were aware that these resources have geologic limits, and they knew that some day these resources would be depleted. Depletion was a matter of concern for people, for communities, and sometimes for the entire nation. Now, from vantage points in space and in history, we have begun to see the actual dimensions of the earth and its resources and we have begun to realise how badly we have misused these resources. In the remains of the gold-silver work at Cassandra in Greece, there is evidence that people dug in search of faulted vein segments some time prior to 300 BC. Their Athenian contemporaries, faced with the depletion of silver and lead ore at Laurium, recognised marble near a schist contact and sunk more than 1000 shafts through barren rock, some to depths of 100m, in search of hidden ore bodies. During the sixteenth century, Georgius Agricola, a physician of Chemnitz, Saxony (Germany), published several essays on prospecting, mining, and metallurgy that dominated geologic thought for two centuries.
Oil and gas exploration is also a very old pursuit. The Bible contains many references to the use of pitch or asphalt collected from the natural seepages which are abundant in the Middle East. Herodotus, writing in about 450 B.C., described oil seeps in Carthage (Tunisia), and the Greek island Zachynthus. He gave details of oil extraction from wells near Ardericca in modern Iran. Oil, salt, and bitumen were produced simultaneously from these wells. The first well in the Western world specifically sunk to search for oil appears to have been at Pechelbronn, France, in 1745. Oil and gas production in Illinois, USA began in 1853 when marsh or drift gas was produced from two wells drilled near Champaign. This gas came from rotting vegetation buried in the glacial deposits. At the time, people knew little about where gas or oil came from, or how to search for them. However, the fact is, the control over the exploitation of these valuable resources has never gone to any one outside the region and nation. They have developed every aspect of exploitation thus ensuring interests and benefits of the nation, while we have remained ignorant, therefore, exploited.
Bangladesh scenario
Bangladesh, geographically, is one of the smallest countries in the world. It is also one of the most densely populated countries. Nonetheless, it is blessed with geologically occurring potential resources like coal, building stones including hard rocks, boulders, gravel, and gas in economically exploitable form. In addition, white clay, glass sand, beach sand containing heavy minerals, and oil have also been found. The prediction of coal deposit in the northwestern region of Bangladesh came as early as 1829 when Raniganj coal mine in West Bengal, India was inaugurated. However, the economic deposit of coal in Bangladesh became certain when the then Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP), now Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB) first drilled exploratory wells in Jaipurhat in the year 1962. Subsequently, more discoveries of coal deposits were made by GSB at Boropukuria, Khalaspir, and Dighipara in 1985, 1989, and 1995 respectively. Phulbari coal deposit was discovered by BHP, a foreign mining company in 1999. Boropukuria coal deposit has already entered the production phase, as has the hard rock mining at Madhayapara.
The exploration for oil and gas began as early as 1910. The first phase of the activities continued until 1933 during British colonial rule in India without any success. After the Second World War, the activities for finding oil began in 1951 by major international oil companies like Shell, Stanvac, Pakistan Petroleum Limited, and by the national Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDC) and continued until 1971. Most of the gas discoveries were made during this phase. After the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, Bangladesh Petroleum Act 1974 was promulgated and six international oil companies such as ARCO, Union Oil, BODC (Nippon Oil), Inanaftaplin (Yougoslav State Oil), Canadian Superior Oil, and Ashland entered in oil exploration in the offshore region of Bangladesh under PSC (production sharing contract) with the Government of Bangladesh. All these companies wound up their activities by 1977 for mysterious reasons. The oil and gas exploration activities gained momentum in the early Nineties with the participation of some other international oil companies, possibly due to very liberal and soft terms extended to them.
However, very little and insignificant discovery, except the Bibiana discovery, was made in the third phase of the venture. This clearly shows our long history of understanding of the role and importance of the georesources in socio-economic emancipation of the nation. Nevertheless, regretfully enough, this simple fact has continuously been ignored for petty interest. Complications arose when, in the name of economic emancipation and to meet exorbitant future projected energy demand, the entire country was indiscriminately leased out for exploration and exploitation of invaluable georesource like oil and gas. How prudent was this? Even our neighbour India, having vast georesources, has never offered its resources to foreign investors to exploit like have done in the past, and are in the process of doing further.
Why can't we take lesson from Indonesia and Nigeria? The leasing out of offshore of Bangladesh for the purpose was marginally acceptable, but we have dug our own grave by offering the entire onshore of the country to the foreign investors. Nation's entire discovered gas reserve is in the hands of some IOCs. We are absolutely at the mercy of the guests who are dictating and controlling the benefit derivations of host's resources. We should not forget how PSC "cost recovery phase" of Shangu gas shot-up from US$90 million to US$267 million and purchasing our own gas at international price left a virtually negative profit balance for the country. How can we forget an absolute negative profit balance by giving away our own discovered Jalalabad gas field on a ghost payment of only US$55 million losing billions of dollars? How can we justify giving away Moulvibazar gas fields, Feni and Chatak gas field virtually free without ensuring the minimum interest of the nation? Prof. Wahiduddin Mahmud rightly pointed out, "Foreign direct investment (FDI) brings in the much-needed foreign funds for current investment, but it also creates long-term debt obligation in the form of future repatriation of profits earned by the foreign investors" (The Daily Star, March 22, 2006).
Even before the gas controversy is solved and a mechanism evolved ensuring optimum benefits to the nation's socio-economy, another drama of exploitation has emerged with coal. Even if we ignore all environmental and social flaws of the coal drama, how can the financial flaw be ignored? Dr. Mostafizur Rahman, very interestingly, has shown how a total loss to the tune of about US$37 billion would be incurred if both Phulbaria and Boropukuria coal fields are given to the foreign investors for open-pit venture (The Daily Star, March 29, 2006). It is important to learn the lessons from the mistakes before it is too late. It is high time to reframe and restructure attitude, commitment and vision of exploitation to safeguard nation's interests and well-beings.