Shamiran Biswas

Just a few days ago, there was a forest fire in Anurbuniyar area in the Chandpai range of East Sundarbans. So far, there have been 25 fires in the Sundarbans in the last 22 years. Every time forest department personnel and local people work together to control the fire. Fire service personnel are also doing their best to control this fire. On Saturday afternoon, workers said they saw smoke rising from the forest fire coil in Anurbuniyar area of Chandpai range. However, no one could give information about how the fire started. Many believe that the fire started because of fishermen and fishermen of Sundarbans. However, foresters disagree on this. Water was sprayed from helicopters to deal with the situation. Members of the Fire Service, Coast Guard and Navy also worked to control the fire.

How the fire started will be confirmed after receiving the investigation report of the forest department. Every time it takes 2-3 days to put out the fire in Sundarbans and every time the biodiversity of Sundarbans is severely threatened and disturbed. So far, about five acres of forest land has been damaged by fire. According to the locals, the Sundarbans area is getting higher day by day, the rivers and canals are dying, so the tide does not recede regularly. A lot of humus is produced by the falling leaves of trees throughout the year, due to which the incidence of fires in the Sundarbans increases during the dry season during the Chaitra-Baishakh months.

Sundarbans is the single largest mangrove forest in the world. 62 percent of these forests are located in Bangladesh and the remaining 38 percent in West Bengal. Currently, the area of Sundarbans is 6 thousand 17 square kilometers. Other names of Sundarbans are-Badaban, Garan forest. There are about 350 species of plants, 120 species of fish, 270 species of birds, 42 species of mammals, 35 reptiles and 8 amphibians. This forest is named Sundarban after the beautiful tree.

In terms of importance, the forest is known to be home to numerous species of animals including birds, spotted deer, crocodiles and snakes, apart from the famous Royal Bengal Tiger. According to the survey, there are 106 tigers and 100,000 to 150,000 blackbucks in the Sundarbans area. On May 21, 1992, Sundarbans was recognized as a Ramsar site.

Due to presence of Sundarbans, lives and property of coastal areas are protected from major damage and destruction during cyclones or floods. Because of this forest, the wealth of 3 thousand 881 crore rupees is saved every year. Financial resources equal to 1 thousand 161 crore rupees are lost annually from these forests through livelihood. We also get the benefits of honey, fish, crab, golpata, tourists, medicinal plants etc. which contribute greatly to the economy of our country. The benefits that trees provide to humans are oxygen, fuel, prevention of natural disasters, protection of water balance, etc. We get all the benefits from the Sundarbans.

In 2014, when an oil tanker sank in the Sundarbans river, oil spilled over many areas, causing severe damage to biodiversity. The normal life of respiratory plants was severely disrupted due to the floating oil. Still, oil, coal, chemical fertilizer ships are running freely in the forest. For using more chemical fertilizers and pesticides. For construction of roads, railway lines, bridges, dams, reservoirs, canals, mining, deforestation, agricultural land expansion, urbanization and industrialization.

For environmental pollution. For the destruction of the natural habitat of the species and for over-hunting. Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world. Even if the existence of the entire Bangladesh is not important, the greater Khulna region will be under threat.

If there is no forest, the biodiversity of the area will disappear and the natural balance will be destroyed. Human habitats will allow storm surges to occur regularly. Crop production in Khulna region will be hindered due to brackish water. Considering all aspects, large part of Bangladesh will be damaged. Threats to biodiversity are free cutting of trees, hunting of animals, excessive use of pesticides on crops. Along with this, frequent fires in the forests of Sundarbans have been added.

Conserving and enhancing the natural capital of the Sundarbans is an extraordinary nature-based solution to address these threats and increase community resilience. Mangrove forests provide a 50-60 km buffer, which acts as a barrier against strong cyclonic winds and storm surges. The Sundarbans protect us from noise pollution, provide food, create jobs, prevent soil erosion, supply pharmaceuticals, provide habitat for numerous species, keep the air clean, house billions of people, influence the weather, keep us cool, provide oxygen, and carbon. Acts as a reservoir of dioxide. The benefits that trees provide to humans, oxygen, fuel, prevention of natural disasters, protection of water balance etc. we get all the benefits from Sundarbans. Moreover, we also get the benefits of honey, fish, crab, golpata, tourists, medicinal plants etc. which are contributing greatly to the economy of our country.

The writer is a, Agriculture and Environment Specialist, Dhaka.