29/08/2016
Are The SUNDARBAN Tigers dwindling?
Razia Quadir
The time has come for the people of Bangladesh to stand up against the Ramphal coal power plant project which threatens the existence of The Sundarban ecological forest….a belief by one and all, irrespective of professional degree holders in environmental science, wildlife experts, activists or a lay person. Let us all join in one big slogan “NO” to Ramphal power plant project!
All out research, environmental studies, seminars, conferences or round table talks could not prove that a cyclonic storm like SIDR can destroy the Sundarban forest. The forest itself a sentinel stood its ground taking the battering against a wind velocity of 220 kmph (150mph), to protect the buffer area of the southern coastal zone from even worse disasters it would have faced, without its presence in 2007. Nature recuperates at its own pace from natural calamities… today the Sundarban has regained its foliage, greenery, strength and beauty from its scarred burnt out visage…. strong enough to face anything of SIDR kind in the near future.
Whereas, any manmade disaster is poisoning though the impact is slow but deadly. The recent furnace oil spillage, 09 December 2014, in the Shela River is good enough reason to think twice before we venture into new projects within close proximity of the Sundarban littoral forest, the impact of which will surface in good time. We are yet to hear any action taken over the oil spill.
The governments of the past, now or ever cannot ensure that waste residue from the Ramphal power plant project will not pollute within 200kilometers periphery of the Sundarban… can we ensure the Ramphal power project will withstand a SIDR like cyclone/storm, not to mention of waste residue and other pollutants from the coal plant, that will play havoc on our only mangrove heritage site? Do we recall the tropical cyclone of April 1991 when a 100ton crane was uprooted from Chittagong port and smashed against the Karnaphuli river bridge breaking it into two while the second one landed on the road to Patenga and many smaller ones ran aground?
Way back in 1995 the govt. of Bangladesh of the said period had almost given in to international pressure of rewarding (gas exploration) block 10 to a foreign company which happened to be in the Sundarban area. It soon drew the attention of some environmental activists…and with much hue and cry it was stalled. The government was on its way out hence much could not be done. As the undersigned had on many occasions said that National parks for wild life (tigers in particular) are in abundance in India compared to Bangladesh…yet nothing will deter them from protecting their National Parks promulgated under strict wildlife regulations. Wildlife researchers can vouch how difficult it is to retrieve permission in West Bengal part of the Sundarban.
India shares part of The Sundarban with Bangladesh….yet they dare not propose anything of the kind within close proximity of Sundarban part in West Bengal. The part of Sundarban in West Bengal, India, due to lack of fresh water flow has high salinity which is visible as one travels across the forest….yet their protection effort is manifolds greater than ours. The tourists are protected with barbed wire fences as they embark on the forest stations…it is said the tigers, though few in numbers, are ferocious due to, limited number(deer, barking deer)of natural prey, shrub like vegetation which is again related to high salinity in the western part of Sundarban. They have also fenced along the India -Bangladesh demarcated border area (where Felini like victim was shot and left hanging). As one very rightly said…”such steps are taken for national protection and interest”. The joint tiger census report shows the jump from 1700 tigers to 2400plus tigers since the last census done in 2014 in India, whereas the numbers of tigers in Bangladesh Sundarban (our only tiger site) has dwindled from 400 plus to 106 in 2014. (Reported the Daily star, 28. 07 2015).
With rise in population since pre-independence much of the forest area is lost to human habitat and forest areas have shrunk considerably and today in Bangladesh, we are left with tigers dwelling only in the Sundarban forest. This 6000sq kilometer of tidal creeks and mangrove forests contains the world’s largest single population of tigers. The human population within Sundarban, limited to fisherman, woodcutters(Bawali), honey hunters(mauwli), pirates, poachers and smugglers, make regular forays into the interior forest by boats, but rarely make permanent homes in the wetlands…the one reason, among many, being the exclusive habitat of the Royal BengalTiger…at times termed as the “Chief Conservator of Sundarban forest”.
The forest is already on the way to degradation due to impediments in the fresh water flow in the region, put up by our neighbour. Moreover, they are due to implement a project of “river linking” (was planned in 2002- 2003) to increase irrigation facilities in that country which will further undermine the flow of the Brahmaputra and the Ganges rivers to Bangladesh. Today, surely our friendly neighbor, India will appreciate our national concern, if we are to walk out of the Rampal coal deal without much explanation. Two wise friends of Bangladesh have already moved out from their pledges to give financial support to the project.
If we are to add the Ramphal coal power project and further enhance the damage due to residue from coal waste and oil leakage /seepage from the vessels to sail through the major channels carrying coal fuel for the power plant, will finally prove a colossal disaster for this rich biodiversity and only habitat for the Royal Bengal Tigers of Bangladesh.
It’s high time we understood what is good for us and not make the Sundarban a political issue…either national or international. If Sundarban lives the TIGERS of Bangladesh live!
Razia Quadir, Development Communicator, heads DHARITRI, a Bangladeshi agency providing media consultancy services
