The Dhaka Times Desk Sundarbans is the world's largest mangrove forest. This forest is full of natural beauty and biodiversity. The world famous Royal Bengal Tiger roams here. However, the existence of Sundarbans is threatened by the effect of global warming.
Bangladesh has less forest area than it needs. Moreover, being a low-lying region, natural disasters strike frequently. As sea level rises due to global warming, most forested areas will be flooded. This will destroy the biodiversity here.
55 percent of Sundarbans falls in Bangladesh and 45 percent in India. As Bangladesh is low, the damage is more in this part of the country. It has been calculated that the water level in Sundarbans has increased by 1 to 2 feet in the last decade and a half. If this continues, 15 percent of the Sundarbans will sink in the next 10 years. According to a report of the United Nations, if the sea level rises by 60 cm, the Sundarbans will completely submerge.
Now some parts of Mandar Bariya west of Sundarbans are under water. Dangerous Information is the former Department of Coastal Science at the University of Newcastle in England Professor John Pethick In one of his studies, he said, among the regions of the world where the sea level is increasing due to weather disasters, Bangladesh is increasing 10% faster.
Impact of Climate Change on Sundarbans:
As a result of industrial revolution in the world, many factories were established. These factories emit carbon at an extreme rate. Excess carbon is very harmful to the environment. This is responsible for the Green House Effect. As a result, the temperature of the world is increasing day by day. Frozen ice in different parts of the world has started melting. It is increasing the height of sea water.
As Bangladesh is a low-lying land, most of it is at risk of submergence under the excess water of the sea. Initially, the sea water will enter the interior through rivers. This salty water will easily reach the Sundarbans. In addition to submerging a large part of the Sundarbans, its biodiversity will face a dire threat.
What to do to protect the Sundarbans:
Bangladesh's role in global carbon emissions is only 3 percent. Still, Bangladesh has to suffer the harmful consequences of global warming. No rich country is doing so, even though the world is supposed to deal with the damage caused by climate change and compensate the affected countries. Considering the Sundarbans, the government has to apply pressure on other countries.
The first Forest Act was passed in 1927. However, there was no mention of the adverse effects of climate change. A new policy was made in 1955 and revised in 1962. However, nothing has been explicitly stated in any policy to protect forest resources. Therefore, new policies have to be formulated to protect the Sundarbans very recently.
The navigability of the rivers adjacent to the Sundarbans should be increased. The estuary next to the sea should be lowered so that the water can go down. If necessary, dams should be built in the river to stop the inflow of sea water.
If immediate steps are not taken to protect the Sundarbans, this precious natural resource will be lost. The consequences will be dire. There will be nothing left to protect from natural calamities. Biodiversity will suffer the most. Many lives, including tigers, will be lost along with the Sundarbans. Therefore, to protect the Sundarbans, we must stand up against nature and rich countries now.
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