UNB, Bagerhat :
A mangrove vegetation is coming to life on the banks of the Chitra River and its floodplains in the northwestern part of the district, some 60km off the Sundarbans.
During a recent visit to Jahudanga, Arulia, Shrirampur villages in Chitalmari upazila, travelling about 4 km along the Chitra River at a stretch, the UNB correspondent found out various mangrove flora like Sundari, Golpata, Kewra and Orr have not only invaded the uninhabited parts of the chars in huge patches, but have crept to the home yards in the villages.
In some parts, the vegetation is so dense that it creates an impression of a full-grown mangrove forest.
The trees are bent towards the water surface while their trunks are inundated-like those in the Sundarbans.
No wonder the locals have already started calling it ‘Mini Sundarbans’, though one should not expect to come across the wild animals of Sundarbans there.
It is the nature of most of the mangrove flora to disperse the seeds by water, while the sandy loam soil along the Chitra’s course as well as
the increase of salinity in the water may have been responsible for the creation of the vegetation, according to experts.
Locals also recount that the vegetation has gradually taken in the shape of ‘very similar to the Sundarbans’ due to an exodus of the plants from the Sundarbans over the last 20 years.
The path of the travel of the mangrove seeds is also traceable along the banks of the river marauding some 15 km across Chitalmari, Fakirhat and Bagerhat Sadar upazilas of the district.
Ayub Ali, a boatman of Kharia Ghat quayside of the Chitra River, said, “The plants are growing by themselves. People are cutting down the plants and meeting their necessities, but the plants are growing again and again. The chars on both sides of the river abounds with these plants. It looks like the Sundarbans.”
Anil Ray, an elderly person of Arulia village, noted that the mangrove threes have spread across the 15-km course of the river in the district-from Godara embankment in Fakirhat upazila to Sadar upazila.
He also noted that the vegetation is moving towards the habitation due to frequent erosion of the east bank of the river.
“I feel happy seeing the lash green on the riverside. But at the same time, many of our ancestral lands have been eroded by the river eroding eastward,” he said stressing the need for steps to stop river erosion in the locality.
Talking to UNB, newly appointed Division Forest Officer (DFO) of the Sundarbans East Zone Md Saidul Islam said he has learned about the growth of the mangrove vegetation in the area from various sources.
The DFO also noted that the area is controlled by the district administration and he will take the steps to conserve the new vegetation after discussing the matter with the deputy commissioner first.
Prof Dr Mahmud Hossain of Forestry and Wood Technology Department of Khulna University said he had recently recorded 12 mangrove species on the Chitra banks. “The seeds have been reaching the area with the tidal waves and giving birth to the vegetation. Further studies over the plants could be illuminating,” he said. Prof Md Shah Alam Faizi, chairman of Botany Department of Bagerhat Government PC College, said the mangrove vegetation has been thriving in the area because of some favourable conditions – tidal flows, intrusion of saline water and the increase of salinity in the soil. Deputy commissioner of Bagerhat Md Jahangir Alam told UNB that he has been informed about the mangrove vegetation on the banks of the Chitra and will take the necessary steps to protect it after taking consultation of the Forest Department.
A mangrove vegetation is coming to life on the banks of the Chitra River and its floodplains in the northwestern part of the district, some 60km off the Sundarbans.
During a recent visit to Jahudanga, Arulia, Shrirampur villages in Chitalmari upazila, travelling about 4 km along the Chitra River at a stretch, the UNB correspondent found out various mangrove flora like Sundari, Golpata, Kewra and Orr have not only invaded the uninhabited parts of the chars in huge patches, but have crept to the home yards in the villages.
In some parts, the vegetation is so dense that it creates an impression of a full-grown mangrove forest.
The trees are bent towards the water surface while their trunks are inundated-like those in the Sundarbans.
No wonder the locals have already started calling it ‘Mini Sundarbans’, though one should not expect to come across the wild animals of Sundarbans there.
It is the nature of most of the mangrove flora to disperse the seeds by water, while the sandy loam soil along the Chitra’s course as well as
the increase of salinity in the water may have been responsible for the creation of the vegetation, according to experts.
Locals also recount that the vegetation has gradually taken in the shape of ‘very similar to the Sundarbans’ due to an exodus of the plants from the Sundarbans over the last 20 years.
The path of the travel of the mangrove seeds is also traceable along the banks of the river marauding some 15 km across Chitalmari, Fakirhat and Bagerhat Sadar upazilas of the district.
Ayub Ali, a boatman of Kharia Ghat quayside of the Chitra River, said, “The plants are growing by themselves. People are cutting down the plants and meeting their necessities, but the plants are growing again and again. The chars on both sides of the river abounds with these plants. It looks like the Sundarbans.”
Anil Ray, an elderly person of Arulia village, noted that the mangrove threes have spread across the 15-km course of the river in the district-from Godara embankment in Fakirhat upazila to Sadar upazila.
He also noted that the vegetation is moving towards the habitation due to frequent erosion of the east bank of the river.
“I feel happy seeing the lash green on the riverside. But at the same time, many of our ancestral lands have been eroded by the river eroding eastward,” he said stressing the need for steps to stop river erosion in the locality.
Talking to UNB, newly appointed Division Forest Officer (DFO) of the Sundarbans East Zone Md Saidul Islam said he has learned about the growth of the mangrove vegetation in the area from various sources.
The DFO also noted that the area is controlled by the district administration and he will take the steps to conserve the new vegetation after discussing the matter with the deputy commissioner first.
Prof Dr Mahmud Hossain of Forestry and Wood Technology Department of Khulna University said he had recently recorded 12 mangrove species on the Chitra banks. “The seeds have been reaching the area with the tidal waves and giving birth to the vegetation. Further studies over the plants could be illuminating,” he said. Prof Md Shah Alam Faizi, chairman of Botany Department of Bagerhat Government PC College, said the mangrove vegetation has been thriving in the area because of some favourable conditions – tidal flows, intrusion of saline water and the increase of salinity in the soil. Deputy commissioner of Bagerhat Md Jahangir Alam told UNB that he has been informed about the mangrove vegetation on the banks of the Chitra and will take the necessary steps to protect it after taking consultation of the Forest Department.
