The 10-kilometre belt around the Sundarbans was declared an ecologically critical area (ECA) in 1999, where industrial and commercial building is banned by law. Yet over seven or eight years, 21 resorts and cottages have gone up along the forest edge, from Dhangmari in Khulna's Dacope to Chila, Baidyamari and Chandpai in Mongla and Munshiganj in Satkhira, and 10 more are being built on bought or leased land. Samakal's investigation found that none of the owners had Department of Environment permission and none is registered with the district administration.

About 10 resorts stand along the Dhangmari canal, a sanctuary for the endangered Ganges river dolphin and the Irrawaddy dolphin. Trawlers ferry tourists up and down every day, the resorts run air conditioners and generators, and waste water goes into the forest's canals. Most 'eco' buildings are concrete inside with bamboo, timber and golpata on top, and many were built after felling trees and filling ponds. Music and barbecues go on at night, and tourists enter the forest even during the June to August closure.

Professor Abdullah Harun Chowdhury of Khulna University's environmental science department said the Sundarbans ecosystem is more fragile than St Martin's, and wildlife will leave if this goes on. Imran Ahmed, conservator of forests for Khulna, said noise, light and waste harm wildlife, but because the resorts sit on private land outside the forest boundary his department can do little.

Parvez Ahmed, assistant director of the Department of Environment in Khulna, said resorts operating inside the ECA without approval were warned by letter on 3 August 2025. Answering a right-to-information request, the district administration said no resort or cottage is registered in Khulna and seven applications are under investigation.

Professor Dr Wasiul Islam of Khulna University, who worked on a 2024 baseline study, said only two of the 20 cottages around the forest at the end of 2024 were owned by local people, and resort owners from St Martin's and Bandarban are now investing in the Sundarbans. He also sees benefits in alternative jobs for forest-dependent people and a growing village economy.

Professor Anwarul Quadir, executive director of the Sundarban Academy, said the resorts' impact on the forest should be assessed before and after construction and strict rules drawn up, so the mistakes of St Martin's are not repeated. Tourism operators say the rules that now limit tourist boats, numbers and areas inside the forest should be applied to resorts too.

The report is Samakal's on-the-ground investigation.

Photo: Samakal

Source: Samakal