The Sundarbans — A delta on death row.
The Sundarbans is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Bay of Bengal covering 10,000 square kilometres over India and Bangladesh. The mangrove-dominated delta consists of 102 low lying islands, of which 54 are inhabited, making it the world’s largest area of mangrove forests. Moulded by tidal action, the islands are home to a number of rare or endangered species, including tigers, aquatic mammals, birds and reptiles (UNESCO, 2015).
The islands are of great economic importance to the 2.5 million people who call the Sundarbans home (Hogan & Clough, 2014). They form a storm barrier, shore stabiliser, nutrient and sediment trap, a source of timber and natural resources (UNESCO, 2015). The Sundarbans is hit with an average of two cyclones every year causing widespread damage and loss of livelihood (Braatz, 2007).
Local villagers are wholly dependent on the forest and waterways for such necessities as firewood, timber for boats, poles for house-posts and rafters, golpatta leaf for roofing, grass for matting, reeds for fencing and fish for their own consumption (Hogan & Clough, 2014).
The impact of Cyclone Aila
Towards the end of May 2009 a low pressure system moved across the Bay of Bengal, hitting the Sundarbans with winds reaching up to 120km/h (Harwood, 2012). Storm surges of 2–3m above tide levels smashed the coastlines, leaving severe devastation in its wake. Water levels rose from two to seven metres and all sources of drinking water had been salinised (Hingorani & Raman, 2009). Embankments built to keep the tides out were breached, causing large scale flooding (Harwood, 2012).
In total, 339 people died and more than 1 million people were left homeless. Health officials in Bangladesh confirmed a deadly outbreak of diarrhoea, with more than 7,000 infected and four dying. The damage caused by Cyclone Aila exceeded $295 million USD (Documenting Reality, 2010).
Professor Sugato Hazra is director of the School of Oceanographic Studies at Calcutta’s Jadavpur University, which runs a project in the Indian Sundarbans. In the past two decades, four islands have sunk into the sea and 6,000 families have been made homeless. His study of satellite pictures reveals a worrying rate of coastal erosion in the Indian Sundarbans (Bhaumik, 2003).
In the aftermath of Cyclone Aila, homes, hopes and livelihoods were destroyed. Villagers lost everything, and with little to no material objects, they have nothing to ‘remember’ things by. Unlike the contrasting developed world, this secluded area of poverty don’t have photos, videos, objects and an online presence to preserve memories. Without these items as triggers, memories can fade and disappear altogether (Lamia, 2012).
Memories may be voluntary or in the case of traumatic events such as Cyclone Aila, they may be involuntary. Remembering an event, a situation, or a person can evoke a shiver of excitement, the heat of anger, or the anguish of grief. Although emotion that is activated by a memory may not be felt as intensely as the actual experience, the recall can be enjoyable or painful nonetheless (Lamia, 2012).
A.K.Raha, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, West Bengal, wrote to Sanctuary to say: “The devastation is all the more shattering because most of the agricultural lands have been temporarily destroyed by salinity. Most surface water sources too have become saline and thousands of katccha houses have either been fully damaged or are about to fall. Drinking water is a real serious concern (Hingorani & Raman, 2009).
The remoteness and isolation of most parts of the Sundarbans left the region crippled in terms of infrastructural provisions (Government of West Bengal, 2009). As villages were rebuilt and the locals tried to feed themselves and their families, they did not have access to better building supplies used in cities.
Mud huts spot the landscapes, and the locals know all too well the impact of the river around them.
Every year, villagers build mud embankments to protect crops from saltwater and animals but each year the flooded rivers and monsoon wash away their efforts. Dams and irrigation systems add to the problem as they block the sediments that build up river deltas. Saltwater long ago claimed the five acres where Bokul Mondol once grew rice and tended fish ponds. His tiny hut sits at the edge of the water now. This is the fifth mud hut he has had to build in the last five years as the sea creeps in (International Business Times UK, 2015).
Apart from the threat of sea levels rising, increased frequency of cyclones presents a more immediate threat to human lives. The Sundarbans is cyclone-prone and with global warming and climate change, the frequency of such calamities is estimated to increase (Government of West Bengal, 2009).
Population growth and economic development have brought about immense pressure on the natural landscape and without further conservation and education the local people of the Sundarbans risk losing their homes and livelihoods (Bijoy, n.d.). Sea levels are rising more than twice as fast as the global average in the Sunderbans and scientists predict that a large portion of the area could be underwater in 15–25 years, forcing the largest ever human migration in history (International Business Times UK, 2015).
The Sundarbans is a fascinating area full of endless wonders. With education and conservation it will maintain the livelihoods of the 2.5 million people who call it home.
References
Documenting Reality,. (2010). Cyclone Aila, India & Bangladesh. May 2009. Retrieved 23 November 2015, from http://www.documentingreality.com/forum/f240/cyclone-aila-india-bangladesh-may-2009-a-47736/
Bhaumik, S. (2003). Fears rise for sinking Sundarbans. BBC News. Retrieved 22 November 2015, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3102948.stm
Bhowmik, A. (2015). List of World Heritage Sites in West Bengal. Beautifulbengal.com. Retrieved 22 November 2015, from http://beautifulbengal.com/unesco-world-heritage-centres-west-bengal.html
Bijoy, M. Cyclone effects on Sundarbans. Presentation, Centre for Science and Environment India.
Braatz, S. (2007). Coastal protection in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami. Bangkok: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.
Government of West Bengal,. (2009). District Human Development Report: South 24 Parganas (p. Chapter 9). Kolkata: Development and Planning Department.
Harwood, P. (2012). Cyclone Aila (2009). Storm-surge.info. Retrieved 23 November 2015, from http://www.storm-surge.info/cyclone-aila-2009
Hingorani, S., & Raman, L. (2009). Lessons from Aila — cyclones in the Sundarbans, whirlwinds in the corridors of power. Sanctuaryasia.com. Retrieved 24 November 2015, from http://www.sanctuaryasia.com/component/content/article/1570-lessons-from-aila-cyclones-in-the-sundarbans-whirlwinds-in-the-corridors-of-power.html
Hogan, M., & Clough, L. (2014). Sundarbans, Bangladesh. Eoearth.org. Retrieved 23 November 2015, from http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/156336/
International Business Times UK,. (2015). Fast rising sea levels in Sunderbans could trigger world’s largest migration soon. Retrieved 25 November 2015, from http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/fast-rising-sea-levels-sunderbans-could-trigger-worlds-largest-migration-soon-1488594
Lamia, M. (2012). Emotional Memories: When People and Events Remain With You. Psychology Today. Retrieved 21 November 2015, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/intense-emotions-and-strong-feelings/201203/emotional-memories-when-people-and-events-remain
New Tang Dynasty TV,. (2009). Cyclone Aila Causes Havoc in Eastern India. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bGikh7qENQ&index=4&list=PL595ECSUbKuclHYbR4uANbulhQOoJbmX4
Oxfam,. (2009). Eye of the storm — Cyclone Aila as it happened. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_322J43O79Y&index=1&list=PL595ECSUbKuclHYbR4uANbulhQOoJbmX4
UNESCO,. (2015). Sundarbans National Park — UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 21 November 2015, from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/452
