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Fires destroy 90 acres of Sundarbans in 19 years
Fire. Representational image.
Over the past 19 years, the Sundarbans witnessed 30 fires, leading to the destruction of around 90 acres of forest land, according to the Forest Department.
These fires continue to pose a significant threat to the region's delicate ecosystem, raising concerns over conservation efforts and environmental protection.
Earlier on Saturday morning, members of the Forest Department noticed a fire at the Tapar Bil area near the Kolmatji Camp of the Dhansagar Station in the Chandpai Range of the Sundarbans East Division.
Firefighters brought the blaze under full control on Sunday morning, more than 24 hours after it broke out.
Few hours after firefighters brought the fire under control in that part of the forest, a new fire broke out in another part of the Sundarbans on Sunday, reports UNB.
The Forest Department noticed a blaze in the dense forest area of Shaplar Bil, near the 23 Sher Siler of Dhansagar Patrol Post in the Chandpai Range of the Sundarbans East Division in Bagerhat district.
Dipen Chandra Das, Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) for the Chandpai Range in the Sundarbans East Division, said that the fire in Shaplar Bil is far more dangerous than the one in Tapar Bil.
Meanwhile, the Sundarbans East Division has formed a three-member investigation committee to determine the cause of the fire in Tapar Bil and assess the extent of the biodiversity loss.
The committee will be led by Dipen Chandra Das, Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) of the Chandpai Range. The other members are Dhansagar Station Officer Bipulesh Chandra Das and Officer-in-Charge of the Kalamteji Patrol Outpost, Md. Rafiqul Islam.
The committee has been asked to submit their investigation report within the next seven working days.
The Forest Department is concerned that the two fires in the Sundarbans within a day of each other may have been acts of sabotage.
Chief Conservator Amir Hossain Chowdhury said that the occurrence of fires in separate locations within a 7-kilometer radius raises questions.
“Investigations are underway to determine if the fires were deliberately set,” he added.
Earlier, on May 4, 2024, a major fire broke out at a location called 'Latifer Chhila' area in the Amurbunia Forest Camp within the Chandpai Range of the Sundarbans East Division.
According to the report from the Forest Department's investigation committee, 7.98 acres of forest land were burned in that fire.
However, the committee was unable to determine the specific cause of the fire in the Sundarbans.