Amphan damages Sundarbans infrastructures, trees worth Tk 16.7m

Cyclone Amphan that battered the country’s coastal districts on Wednesday damaged infrastructures and trees worth Tk 16.7 million in the Sundarbans’ eastern  part, according to UNB.

The forest department sources said Ampan did not cause any damage to the natural forest resources including the Sundari trees and wild animals but destroyed its infrastructures and uprooted some trees planted by the forest department under its forestation programme.

The extent of damage to the eastern part of the Sundarbans  by Ampan has been estimated at Tk 16.7 million, said divisional forest officer Mohammad Belayet Hossain of Sundarbans East Division, on Tuesday after receiving the report of the committee formed to assess the extent of damages.

10 rain trees, two palm trees, five coconut trees, seven Jhau trees, one banyan tree and one Krishnachura tree have been damaged in the eastern part of the Sundarbans due to the cyclone, he said.

Some infrastructures  including 18 jetties, 24 office and staff barracks,  1,255 meters road, eight gangway platoons, one watch tower, two foot trails, 16 water tanks, one deer cage, one public toilet , one RCC bench transfer one and two warehouses were damaged.

Besides, 1,124 cubic feet of Sundori trees seized at different times have been washed away by tidal surge.

The DFO said four separate committees were formed to assess the damages caused by the cyclone.

According to the report of the committee,  the cyclone damaged infrastructures worth Tk 16.0 million while  trees worth Tk 761,000.

Cyclone ‘Amphan’ left a trail of devastation when it hit Bangladesh’s coastal districts with wind speed of up to 180kph and over 10 feet tidal surges on Wednesday night.

It killed 10 people and inflicted heavy damage to lives, livelihood, agriculture, infrastructures, environment, as well as the largest mangrove forest in the world, the Sundarbans, in southwestern region of the country.

An initial estimate suggested that the damage caused by the cyclone runs into hundreds of crores of taka. It is feared that the cyclone could threaten Bangladesh’s fight against coronavirus and create climate refugees.