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Published : 23 Mar 2025, 12:58 PM
The fire in the Sundarbans is still burning intermittently. To contain it, Forest Department officials are cutting firelines by digging up soil to create a barrier and using their own irrigation pumps to spray water to douse the flames.
On Sunday morning, the Forest Department claimed that the fire was mostly “under control”.
However, they have not yet been able to confirm how far the fire spread or what caused it.
Around 1pm on Saturday, forest workers spotted clouds of smoke near the Dhan Sagar-Kalmatiji Patrol Outpost in the Chandpai Range of the Sundarbans East Division. Upon receiving the news, the fire service began efforts to control the fire deep within the forest.
Kazi Mohammad Nurul Karim, divisional forest officer of the Sundarbans East Division, said: “There are no large flames, only smoke. We are cutting firelines and using our own irrigation pumps to put out the fire. We worked through Saturday night to douse the flames.”
“We are spreading water wherever we can see smoke. From what we observe now, there is no cause for alarm. At least 60 to 70 percent of the fire is under control.”
To determine the cause of the fire, a three-member investigation committee has been formed, led by Dipon Chandra Das, assistant conservator of forests in the Chandpai Range.
The two other panel members are Bipuleshwar Das, station officer of Dhan Sagar Station, and Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of the Kalmatiji Patrol Outpost.
Dipon said that the committee has been instructed to submit an investigation report within seven working days, identifying the cause of the fire and assessing the damage it caused to the forest.
Sakaria Haider, deputy assistant director of the Bagerhat Fire Service, confirmed that the fire was largely under control after irrigation pumps were used.
He said, “Five units from Bagerhat, Sharankhola, and Morelganj are stationed on the banks of Mora Bhola River near the Sundarbans. We have started laying pipelines to transport water to the fire site. However, the fire-affected area is at least 3km away from the river, making it extremely challenging to carry water and put out the flames.”
Although the cause of the fire is still unknown, the fire service officer said it could have been started by the lit bidi or cigarette butts thrown out by careless fishermen or honey hunters.
On May 4, a similar fire broke out in the Amurbunia area of the Chandpai range, damaging five acres of forest.
