The New Nation - Internet Edition

Tania Sultana

The wounded Sundarban is gradually getting return of its own loveliness. It has already recovered its 80 per cent loss after a year of the devastating cyclone Sidr.

The Sundarban is the biggest mangrove forest in the world where 334 species of animals and plants exist specially Royal Bengal Tiger. This is a compact forest, without any existence of village. Sundarban contains about 4.2 part of the total Bangladesh. Tidal bore overlaps it by water for half of a day.

Abdur Rab, office in-charge of Karamjal Forest Camp said, wounds of every living organ get heal within a distinct of time. That is why the trees which were not uprooted only broke down in the Sidr have got a chance to recover.

The Government policy to leave Sundarban untouched helped for the recovery.

Red coloured-craps are moving in the muddy places in forest and the songs of different birds are being heard again. The Sundarban is now full of tender trees and leaves of sundaree, Goran, Bain, Keora, Kakra and others. New trees are growing from the expanding roots of the mangrove forest's trees. The trees locally called Kakra are standing with its umbrella shaped branches with green and thick leaves. During the time of travelling by the launch in the canals of Sundarbon watery birds like locally called white bak, machranga and different unknown birds catch the eyes of the tourists. Herds of different fishes are jumping in water of the canals in sunny days.

Both the canals and the mangrove are equally dangerous as well as adventurous for a tourist with the anxiety of attacks of crocodiles, tigers, and snakes like king kobra. The possibility to see a tiger is very low but the herds of the deer locally named "Chitra" are very much available in the forest.

It is very much thrilling to journey by a lunch through the canals in the Sundarban. Any body can enjoy the thrill to observe the beauty of the jungle travelling Nandabala, Harbaria and Karamjal forest camp. The people of the village named Chadpai are very much friendly with the tourists.

After the Sidr, nobody was allowed to the forest to cut down the trees or collecting Golepata. Even the department of Forest did not allow taking away the trees uprooted or broke down in the cyclone. That is why it can make over this loss.

The quantity of loss of the Sundarban after the Sidr was around one thousand and 20 crore of Tk. A visiting team of Unesco right after the cyclone said it would take time for 15 years to recover. Around 30-35 tigers were injured in the Sidr. Others species had also injured or wiped out in the cyclone. The people living nearest village of the sundarban had faced many crises after the Sidr as they are economically dependent on the jungle. Some of them catch fishes some of them collect honey or Golpata from the Sundarban. But this mysterious mangrove forest has shown its magic within a very short time.

Photo: Mahbuba Tuli