Bagerhat: A new fire incident, started at Tulatuli under Chandpai forest range in Sundarban on Wednesday afternoon, is devastating the greatest and most important forest in Bangladesh till filing of this report on Thursday afternoon.

Forest officials and fire fighters reported extreme shortage of water and other materials.

In a month, at least four fire incidents were recorded in the world’s largest mangrove forest.

In last 14 years, a total of 22 fire incidents were noticed in Chandpai and Sharankhola ranges of Sundarban. These result in hundreds of acres of land being gutted and brought great misery to the flora and fauna of the forest.

Following the fire incident of Tuesday, the forest department filed a case against 16 persons, including a local union Awami League vice-president Shajahan Shikari, in connection with Wednesday’s fire incident. Other accused are also leaders and activists of the ruling Awami League, police and local people said. Police, however, failed to arrest any of the accused in the case.  

A total of five watch teams under the forest department started patrolling on 25 April. The fire incident took place after a day they started their activities.

The forest division officials said despite efforts fire fighters are struggling to extinguish the fire because of water shortage and heavy breeze.

However, local people with water in pitcher and bucket also joined the fire fighters in the early hours of Thursday.

Forest division said officials of eight forest camps, Morelganj fire fighters, and local people are working to douse the flames.

The forest workers claimed blazes in some parts of the range came under control after the efforts of Thursday morning.

East Sundarban Chandpai range station officer Gazi Motiar Rahman said: ‘Fire fighters are spreading water on places from where flames and smoke are rising sporadically.’

He said miscreants intentionally set the forest on fire. However, the station officer could not say whether any case would be filed in this connection.

Earlier, the Chadpai Range of the Sundarbans witnesses four incidents of fire in four weeks, at Dhanshagor station’s Nangli forest camp on March 27, at Abdullah Shila of the range on April 18, the third one on April 13 and the fourth one on April 27. The fire incidents destroyed forest on nearly 10 acres of land.

The forest department and locals claimed the incidents were the acts of sabotage. It formed a committee to probe the incident and set up five watch teams to avoid such incidents happening again.

The forest department officials and local people complained that an organised group operated the sabotages taking forest officials hostage at gun point. They are so organised and powerful that nobody can show courage to speak against them. The local people were threatened not to inform media.

Bagerhat superintendent of police Nizamul Haque Mollah said police are always vigilant to give protection to Sundarban as it is the heritage site to all. The fire department lodged a case in the forest court against six people. On the other hand, the forest department filed another case in Sharankhola police station against 10 people.

22 fire incidents in 14 years

In the last 14 years, there have been 22 fire incidents in Chandpai and Sharankhola ranges of the mangrove forest and causing damage to its unique ecosystem.

The recurring fire incident is posing a threat to the biodiversity of the forest. Soil fertility is declining in the Sundarban due to frequent fires.

According to the residents of the areas, those living nearby the Sundarban often set fire to it to collect firewood. The burnt area goes under water during monsoon and local fishermen use the area for fishing. Fishermen also use the fire-ravaged areas as cattle grazing ground during the dry season.

The first fire incident in Sundarban took place in March 22, 2002 at Katka sanctuary area that destroyed forest on six acres of land. Other fire incidents are March 25 and 26, 2004, April 2005 at Amarbunia, April 13 at Tulatala are in Dhansagar that damaged four acres of land, March 3, 2006 at Dhansagar station compartment in the Chandpai range that destroyed 2.5 acres of land, March 19, 2006 at Terabeka that destroyed 1.5 acres of land, April 12, 2006 at Amarbuniya that burnt 1.5 acres, Kamalteji area on the same day that burnt 1.5 acres, January 15, 2007 at Dumuria camp in the Sharankhola range that destroyed 5.50 acres, March 19 and 28, 2007 at Pochakoralia in the Chandpai range that damaged 10 acres of land, March 20, 2010 at Dhansagar station compartments in the Chandpai range that burnt 5 acres of land, March 1, 8 and 9, 2011 at Nagli area in the Chandpai range that devastated 10 acres of land and the fire incident in 2014 at Shulishakhali camp area in the Chandpai range that burnt 5 acres of land.

The last four fire incidents are happened on March 28, April 13, April 18 and April 27 at Dhansagar station’s Nagli, pochagoralia and Tenglar Bil area.

A high-profile UNESCO delegation recently visited the Sundarbans to assess the possible impacts of the recent manmade disasters on the mangrove forest.

Besides the fire incidents, a tanker carrying about 350,000 litres of furnace oil crashed in the Shela River on December 9, 2014, while a cargo sank on March 19, 2016.

The Sundarban, a natural habitat to the tiger, crocodile and dolphin, is located in three coastal districts, Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira, covering a stretch of 6,017 square kilometres.