Sunderbans Sinking As Seas Rise 3mm/Year - 10mm/Year In Bangladesh

[hatrack]

Climate change is taking its toll on the Sunderbans tiger reserve with rising sea level and erosion threatening its fragile ecosystem. The rise of seawater in the Sunderbans, a world heritage site, is about 3.14 mm annually as against the global average of 2.2 mm. As one moves eastwards towards Bangladesh the rise is even higher at almost 5mm in the centre and at Khulna in Bangladesh the rise annually is 10mm.

Expers say global warming raises atmospheric temperatures, which in turn, warms the world's oceans. Heat makes water molecules expand-called thermal expansion-causing sea levels to rise. Over the past three decades, the world's oceans have warmed by .3 degrees Celsius on average. The inter-governmental panel on climate change expects sea levels to rise by almost a metre by 2100.

South Asia has been identified as one of the most vulnerable areas to sea level rise. The Sunderbans are at the greatest risk as not only is it home to some of the world's most endangered species including the tiger, it is also home to 4.5 million people. In the last two decades 6000 families have been left homeless by the rising sea, which has swallowed low lying islands.

Cyclones, tidal waves and tidal surge are increasing also both in frequency and intensity accelerating erosion along the 225 km coastal line. "Earlier we have seen this happening but now it is more frequent. Just during the rainy season due to the Norwester the entire east coast was very badly affected, many embankments were broken aggravating erosion," said Professor Ananda Deb Mukhopadhyay, Chairman, Digha Sankarpur Devl Authority.

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