Manpower shortage turning Sundarbans into ‘sanctuary for poachers’

Protection and preservation of the Sundarbans, world’s largest mangrove forest, is being hampered by the forest department’s shortage of manpower and logistics with 344 out 1172 posts lying vacant.

Five patrolling camps have already been shut down due to the manpower crisis.

With the current manpower, there is only one guard for every 9 square kilometres of the forest. Thus, the Forest Department’s activities in the Sundarbans, including averting smuggling of forest resources and poaching, are being severely hindered, said the forest department officials.

Md Amir Hossain Chowdhury, the conservator of forest in Khulna Circle told UNB that currently 344 of the 1172 sanctioned posts are vacant.

“As a result boatmen are playing the role of forest guards,” he added.

Amir Hossain also said foresters, forest guards and boatmen mainly perform the duties to conserve the forest, but 27 posts of foresters, 14 posts of forest guards and 142 posts of boatmen remain vacant. In the next year, when many will retire, the vacant posts will increase further.

According to the forest department officials, there are a total of 17 stations and 61 running patrolling camps across the Sundarbans’ four ranges- Sharankhola, Chandpai, Khulna and Satkhira.

As the patrolling camps are run by two to three staff each, it is becoming tougher for the Forest Department to guard the Sundarbans regularly and protect forest resources, said Md Mahamudul Hassan, divisional forest officer (DFO) of the East region of the Sundarbans.

Meanwhile, in the running season of dried fish in Dublarchar, the workload has increased. In the coming season of cutting ‘Golpata’, more forest guards will be needed, he added.

According to the source, activities of the forest department in the Sundarbans are crippled by the manpower crisis, for which smugglers and rings of poachers are easily carrying out their crimes.

Talking to UNB, Mahmud Hossain, professor of forestry and wood technology department at Khulna University noted that the World Heritage Site acts as a safeguard for the people of Southern region of the country from natural disasters.

“As the forest guards play the key role to protect the Sundarbans’ resources, the manpower must be increased to make it sufficient,” said the professor.

The Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest of the world and part of world heritage, covering an area of 6,017 square kilometres. Though the government has declared more than half of its area as sanctuary, the shortage of manpower and modern logistic supply.