Water not sprayed in 12 hrs of Sundarbans fire: No nearby source

Bagerhat, 22 March – A fire has broken out in the Sundarbans, the country's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, but no water could be sprayed on the blaze even after 12 hours due to the lack of a nearby water source.

The fire, which erupted in the Tepar Beel area under the Kolomteji Camp of the Chandpai Range in the Sundarbans East Division, has burned trees and vegetation, with smoke spreading across several parts of the forest.

According to the Forest Department, some foresters spotted the fire at around 7 am on Saturday. Dry leaves fueled the flames, causing the fire to spread rapidly. Several trees and plants have already been burned.

Dipen Chandra Das, Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) of Chandpai Range in the Sundarbans East Division, said, "A firebreak has been created over a 1.5-kilometer area to prevent the fire from spreading further. The Forest Department, Fire Brigade, and local villagers are working together to control the fire. However, due to the lack of a nearby water source, no water could be sprayed on the fire until Saturday evening."

He could not confirm the cause of the fire or the extent of damage immediately.

According to the Fire Service, the fire broke out about 3 kilometers away from the Bhola River and the nearest locality. While five fire service units were dispatched to the Sundarbans, only one unit managed to reach the site and the other four could not. A pipeline has been laid for 1.5 kilometers to carry water from the Bhola River, but another 1.5 kilometers is needed to establish a connection.

Firefighters said that efforts to douse the fire with water would not be possible before Sunday morning.

Aftab-e-Alam, the acting station officer of Sarankhola Fire Station in Bagerhat, said, "By Saturday evening, we managed to lay pipelines for 1.5 kilometers. Work was halted due to nightfall, and the remaining 1.5 kilometers of pipelines will be installed on Sunday morning before water spraying begins."

Sakaria Haidar, Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) of Bagerhat Fire Station, said, "Five fire units from Bagerhat, Morrelganj, Mongla, Sarankhola, and Kochua are working to extinguish the fire. Firefighters are actively engaged in the operation. So far, only the Sarankhola unit has reached the fire site."

29 fires in 19 years

According to the Forest Department, the Sundarbans has experienced 29 fire incidents over the past 19 years, burning approximately 85 acres of forest land.

On May 4, 2024, a fire broke out in Latifer Chhila under the Amurbunia Forest Camp of the Chandpai Range in the Sundarbans East Division. A forest department investigation revealed that 7.98 acres of forest were burned in that incident. However, the committee could not determine the exact cause of the fire.

Previously, on May 3, 2021, a fire broke out in the Daser Bharani area of the Sundarbans. On May 26, 2017, another fire occurred in Abdullah Chhila under the Nangli Forest Camp of the Chandpai Range in the Eastern Sundarbans.