Sundarban (সুন্দরবন)

Sundarban (সুন্দরবন)

Water mazes

The huge Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers meet a few kilometers from the Gulf of Bengal to form the largest delta on Earth: the Ganges. They do it in the territory of a young and small country, Bangladesh, which has an exciting hydrology. The tons of sediments deposited by the rivers provide fertile soil that has sought an overflowing population growth. However, sea level rise due to global warming is a very real threat. So much so that other accomplished hydrologists, the Dutch, are helping in the construction of dikes and polders. In the southwest of the country are the Sundarbans: the largest extension of mangroves in the world. This region joins with India, being 60% in Bangladesh. The Sundarbans are tremendously threatened and it is estimated that they can lose three quarters of their extension. In fact, what we see now is a third of what it came to be and has disappeared by extensive agriculture.

Satellite view of the Sundarbans
The direct translation of Sundarbans is forest of sundaris in Bengali. These sundaris are the most common trees in the entire mangrove landscape, although they are in contraction. The Sundarbans combine two zones. The farthest from the sea is formed by swampy forests crossed by many channels. This part is less brackish and in the wet season the water is almost fresh. Brackishness grows when we reach the other area: the pure mangrove.

 Here, the canals reach up to a kilometer wide and from the sky we can count hundreds of islands. The diversity of flora is minor and dominates the territory of some of the 27 species of halophyte mangroves, that is, adapted to salobrity. The forested part has historically been the most affected by the opening of dikes, crops and in general human activity. The Sundarbans is a region very affected by the joint action of the rains and the tide: the water level can vary meters and temporarily flood large portions of land.

British botanist David Prain identified more than 300 species of flora at the beginning of the 20th century. In front is the sundari, replaced in many areas of new forest by the keora. No new botanical studies have been done, but it is believed that the landscape has varied greatly since its investigation for the variation in brackishness. The transition of the waters protects a multitude of species that depend on these waters: fish, dolphins of the Ganges and small mollusks that are protected in the mangrove roots. Mammals have adapted to the large presence of water. We can see deer, wild cats, macaques, foxes, wild boars and of course the Bengal tiger, the star of the Park. As threatened as this is the small Indian river turtle. The birdlife is very relevant, both for fixed and migratory inhabitants who find in the mangrove a winter paradise. Among the fixed ones are the endemic alipardo alción, the Asian bird and the threatened Marabou minor. The threatened species are many. Some have directly disappeared, such as the mythical Java rhinoceros.

 

Life on the banks of one of the Sundarbans canals

So much water has always hindered human presence, although some four million Bangladeshis live as they can here. A merchant from the fourth century was able to build a city here, but little else is known about the Sundarban until the Mughal era of India, when many people fled here. With the British he became the first mapped and tried to exploit the land. However, since 1875 the Sundarban were considered a reserve. Since 1977 there are three united reserves. Today much more is known about the Sundarbans and their function as a protective barrier against cyclones. Its main threat is climate change, although shrimp farming or logging do not lag behind.

 Khulna, headquarters of the reserve administration, is the gateway. It is the third city in the country with a million and a half inhabitants. If we do not take a tour hired from the country of origin, this is the ideal city to hire one. There is a lot of variety and we can dedicate from one day to a whole week. The means of transport is logically the ship. We can go visiting the different observation points, such as Hiron Point, Katka or Tin Kona Island. It is advisable to visit a local community to understand what it is to live surrounded by water. It is very important to get the weather right. The rains from June to October are not only annoying, but they are accompanied by frequent flooding. From October the coolest season begins. Due to the weather, it is also one of the most important malaria points that exist, so prophylaxis is mandatory.