After seven months closed because of the coronavirus, the Sundarbans has filled with green again, and animals and birds are being seen. Having recovered from the damage of Cyclone Amphan, the sundari, gewa and goran forest is now lush, and deer, dolphins and other wildlife are moving about more.

In Munshiganj, Kalagachhia, Katka, Hiron Point, Harbaria, Andharmanik and other areas of the western Sundarbans, the damaged trees seem to have come back to life after the long rest.

Fishermen, bawalis (wood-cutters) and mouals (honey collectors) who make their living in the Sundarbans say they are seeing far more animals and birds in the forest than before. Schools of dolphins are being seen in the Kholpetua river, something never imagined before. Various fish, including shrimp, datina, bhola and parshe, are also being found in the rivers and canals. With no tourists for seven months, nature has been able to put itself in order.

Masudur Rahman, chairman of Gabura union in Shyamnagar next to the Sundarbans, said the lives of many people in the area depend on tourists. Many earn a living from trade or by hiring out trawlers, and this came to a standstill during the coronavirus period. Although no visible change could be seen, pirates and forest bandits were being seen much less in the Sundarbans, he said.

When Cyclone Amphan struck on 20 May, about 12,500 sundari, gewa, goran and other trees in the western Sundarbans were damaged. These trees have grown back, and the forest has largely recovered from its wounds.

M A Hasan, assistant conservator of forests of the Sundarbans West Forest Division, said tourists were barred from entering the Sundarbans from 29 March to 1 November because of the coronavirus. With tourists kept out for seven long months, fish, birds, dolphins and deer have naturally been seen much more. Animals like a quiet environment, and having found it, they have grown in their own way. The rivers were also spared from pollution while tourists stayed away, he said.

He said tourists throw water bottles, disposable plates and leftover food into the rivers, which damage the environment. The long ban on tourists spared the environment from this. Now schools of dolphins are being seen even in the small rivers inside the Sundarbans, and overall a delightful environment has been created in the forest.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.