The New Nation - Internet Edition

experts argue | bio-diverse eco-system | casualties unreported

repercussions grow | endangered Royal Bengal Tigers

silence after the storm | trail of devastation

human cost in the future

In what is being dubbed as an aftermath, experts argue whether the battered forest should regenerate on its own or should the process be intervened but battered away everything in its path it has, Cyclone Sidr has destroyed almost one-fourth of Sunderbans's unique bio-diverse eco-system that's a habitat for diverse wildlife and a major source of income for many poor villagers.

Casualties harboured by the hurricane are unreported and it is too early to estimate figures but repercussions grow as life makes a comeback in the world's largest single tract of mangrove forest, Bangladesh's World Natural Heritage Site and home to the endangered Royal Bengal Tigers.

The silence after the storm teaches us an imperative lesson, one that we ignored in classrooms that it is because ecosystems like Sunderbans exist in the first place that whatever impacts all storms like Sidr brings from the Bay are minimised.

Cyclone Sidr has left a trail of devastation in the Sundarbans forest but our acts today can minimise the human cost in the future. The choice is ours.

Save our Sundarbans: Save our Souls.

Photos: Munir uz Zaman

Text: Arpan Shrestha

Photos & Text By DrikNEWS