Navy to evict illegal shrimp farms from Sonadia

The Bangladesh Navy will evict shrimp farms established by clearing mangrove forests on Sonadia Island in Maheshkhali upazila of Cox’s Bazar.

The prime minister has approved a proposal submitted to her office by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to involve the navy in the eviction drive. She approved the proposal on 3 August.

Forest experts say tidal water enters mangrove forests through numerous small canals. The ebb and flow of the tides sustain the forest ecosystem. When embankments are built across the mouths of these canals, the mangrove forest loses its vitality and eventually dries up. In Sonadia, encroachers have cleared the forest and built embankments around the cleared areas to farm shrimp. Restoring the flow of tides is therefore essential to revive the mangrove ecosystem.

The navy is being involved under a project titled “Strengthening Capacity of MoEFCC, DoE and BFD for Natural Resource Management and Improved Climate Resilience.”

Fahmida Khanam, secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, told Prothom Alo that the prime minister had agreed to involve the navy in evicting illegal encroachments from Sonadia Island. The navy is also prepared to provide assistance. All-out efforts will be made to free the island from encroachment and restore its biodiversity, she said.

In 2006, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change declared Sonadia Island an Ecologically Critical Area (ECA) because of its environmental importance. All activities that damage soil, water, air and other environmental components are prohibited in an ECA.

In 2017, the Awami League government allocated 9,466.93 acres of Sonadia’s forestland to the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) for Tk 1, with the aim of establishing an ecotourism park. As a result, the Forest Department lost its legal authority to protect the mangrove forest.

No ecotourism activities were undertaken after BEZA took over the land. After the Forest Department lost its legal authority, the scale and extent of encroachment on Sonadia’s mangrove forest increased. According to the Forest Department’s estimate, at least 7,000 acres of mangrove forest have been cleared.

Considering the overall situation, the government decided in March 2025 to return 9,466 acres of Sonadia’s forestland to the Forest Department. So far, around 8,045 acres of forestland in three mouzas of Sonadia Island have been returned to the Forest Department. BEZA still holds 12,270 acres of forestland across six mouzas on the island.

The project was taken up during the interim government’s tenure to evict illegal shrimp farms from Sonadia Island and restore its biodiversity.

Fahmida Haque Khan, joint secretary at the Ministry of Environment and project director of the “Strengthening Capacity of MoEFCC, DoE and BFD for Natural Resource Management and Improved Climate Resilience” project, told Prothom Alo, “The prime minister’s approval is required for any initiative involving the armed forces. We received that approval in August. A meeting between the Armed Forces Division, the navy and the Ministry of Environment is scheduled for this month. The operational plan for the eviction drive will be decided there. The navy may require around Tk 40 million for the operation. However, we have an allocation of Tk 20 million under the project for the eviction drive. I hope we can reach a decision on this issue at the meeting.”

In 2025, the Maheshkhali upazila administration identified 45 kilometres of embankments in a survey and sought Tk 42 million from the government to remove them. The administration also evicted 11 illegal shrimp farms that year.

Mohammad Alamgir Kabir, general secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), told Prothom Alo that token eviction drives had been conducted in Sonadia in the past. It is good news that the government is now planning an all-out eviction drive involving the navy.

“We will have to see what steps the relevant ministries take to restore biodiversity across the island after the evictions. At the same time, a strong monitoring mechanism must be put in place to ensure that illegal shrimp farms cannot be established on the island again,” he said.

From Jetty No. 6 on the Bakkhali River in Cox’s Bazar, a 20-minute speedboat ride across the Bay of Bengal brings Sonadia Island’s eastern mangrove forest into view from a distance. Sonadia Canal cuts through the mangrove forest. Rows of gewa trees line both sides of the canal. Several smaller canals branch into the forest from both sides. The mouths of these canals have been blocked with embankments.

After the speedboat stopped and we climbed onto one such embankment, the destruction inside the forest came into view. It appeared as though thousands of trees had been sentenced to death. Thousands of tree stumps stood across the mangrove forest as evidence of the destruction.

On the afternoon of 16 September, a cormorant was sitting on one of the stumps of the felled trees. Having lost its familiar habitat, the bird appeared bewildered. As far as the eye could see, trees had been cleared and the land turned into shrimp farms. Similar scenes were scattered across the island.

Sonadia is a ward of Kutubjum Union in Maheshkhali upazila. The Forest Department has a field office there. On 16 September, Prothom Alo spoke to Beat Officer Alauddin Al Azad at the office.

“Whenever we try to prevent encroachment on the mangrove forest, we come under attack. Our colleagues were injured in one such attack during Ramadan last year. Only six of us are currently working at this beat office. As a result, hundreds of people come together to occupy the mangrove forest. We do not have enough manpower to resist them,” he said.

Aminul Haque, acting president of BAPA’s Maheshkhali upazila unit, told Prothom Alo that simply evicting the encroachers would not be enough. “The Forest Department must be strengthened by increasing its manpower to protect Sonadia Island,” he said.