Story behind regular fire incidents in Sundabans

April 27, 2025, 12:24 am

Prof. Mosharraf Husain, Bagerhat

Sundarbans is one of the world heritages, the biggest Mangrove and sanctuary forest in the world. But the fire set to the forest (Sundarbans) by a section of greedy forest-earners (those who depend on Sundarbans),
particularly in the dry season, causing the damage to the forest resources on acres after acres. But this fireterrorism cannot be checked at all.

According to a primary assessment, the Sundarbans sanctuary mangrove forest caught the fire incidents for 42 (fortytwo) times during the last 51 years alone. Out of them
during the last 23 years the sanctuary mangrove forestcaught the fire 34 times. Consequently, the forest(resources (trees) over more than hundred Bighas of landswere burnt completely. Last of all the fire was set on orbroken out in the Teparbil area of Kalamteji Forest PatrolOutpost of Dhansagar Station under Chandpai ForestRange in the Eastern Division of Sundarbans on March
22.

The Forest Department and Fire Service brought the fire under control within 02 days, but after a day later anew fire broke out in the Shaplarbil Teisherchila forest under Dhansagar Patrol Outpost, one kilometer off Teparbil. Due to the extent of the fire here, the forest guards, Fire Service workers,police and the locals had to struggle to extinguish the fire for want of water. The fire was extinguished after a long fighting for 06 days of non-stop efforts. The fire burned down six acres of forest lands in Sundarbans including creepers, bushes and
trees. In this connection DFO (Divisional Forest Officer) of the Eastern Sundarbans formed a 3-men InvestigationCommittee headed by Dipen Chandra Das (ACF), Forest Ranger of Chandpai Forest Range to investe into the fire
incidents.

This Investigation Committee already submitted the report to the DFO of the Eastern Sundarbans on April 07. Kazi Muhammad Nurul Karim, DFO (Bagerhat) told, the report states that the fire could have been started by fishermen. Several recommendations have been made to prevent the fire, including dredging the Bhola River and restoring it to its previous state, issuing permits for cutting forest logs, and strengthening forest guards.

It may be mentioned here that in the year of 2024 fire was set on at the same area (Latiferchila within Amurbunia Patrol Outpost under Chandpai Forest Range in the Eastern Sundarbasn in Bagehat district). The fire
was set on at least more than 52 places on two kilometers area and the forest department, Fire Service, embers of the Coastguards, police, air Force and the locals extinguished the fire after a long fighting for 47hours. In spite of that (according to a primary assessment done by the forest department) all the forest trees and other creeps and herbs on 7.9 acres of lands were burnt to ashes.

According to a survey done by the forest department, some 15 fire incidents were originated from the burning flambeaus and the burning ends of Biri/ cigarettes left bythe Mawals (honey collectors) and the fishermen respectively. But the causes behind the rest fire incidents could not be traced out till the writing of this report.On March 27 in the year of 2016 a number of greedy forest-earners set fire on the forest within Nangli ForestCampus within Dhansagar Forest Station under Chandpai Forest Range in Eastern Sundarbans (in Bagerhat district). After only 15 days of the incident on April 13 the greedy forest-earners set fire on the same place under the Eastern Sundarbans once again.

As a result, forest trees of 8.5 acres (forest) lands were completely burnt. In connection with those 2 fire incidents Md. Saidul Islam, the then DFO (Divisional Forest Officer) of the Eastern Sundarbans (In Bagerhat district) took an strong steps,
indentified the godfather Md. Shahjahan Hawladar and 6 other terrorists and lodged a case with the court against them. It is learnt after talking with Dr. Md. Faridul Islam,Chairman of “Save the Sundarban Foundation’, (that esearch on Sundabans), Nur-e-Alam Shaikh, Convener of Bagerhat district branch of BPA (Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon) and the cross sections of people that the dead river Bhola that separates the Eastern Sundrbans from human habitations was dredged out those points which are closed to the human habitations a few years ago. But the dredged mud was placed to Sundarbans. As a result, those points of Sundarbans (where dredged out mud was placed on those places) became elevated and not unleveled. So, the water of the rivers and canals of the forest cannot enter into those vast areas of the forest.Different kinds of creeps and bowers grew on the elevated lands and those areas become the homesteads for tigers.

During the rainy seasons at least big and small 28water containers are formed with the rain water in those areas where huge quantities of the sweet water fish like Kai, Shing and Magur are grown abundantly. In order to
catch those fish from the natural water containers a number of local and influential people enter into the forest illegally, cast fishing nets in the water containers and catch the fish of sweet water in large scales and as
the area are full of under-woods and winding plants. With a view to clearing their path they set fire on those under-woods and weeds in a preplanned way. Dr. Mahmud Hossain, former Vice-chancelor of Khulna Univercity who completed his Doctorate Dgree in forestery told, Sundarbans is a mangrove forest.

So, there cannot be originated wildfir automatically. Kazi Md. Nurul Karim, DFO (Divisional Forest Officer) of the Eastern Sundarbans told, at last on March 22 at
Teparbil and on March 24 at Teishererchila within Amarbunia patrol outpost under Chandpai Forest Range in the Eastern Sundarbans. In this connedction a 3-men Committee was formed in order to investigate into the two fire incidents.

The Investigation Committee has already submitted the report to the DFO stating a number of suggessions to prevent the fire incidents in future.