Bagerhat: The recent Sundarbans fire has damaged forest resources worth only ‘Tk 1 lakh’, says a probe report of Bangladesh Forest Department.

On March 27, 2016, a fire broke out in the Dhanshagorstation’s Nangli forest camp area of Sundarban’s Chadpai range, located in the eastern part of the mangrove forest.

The Forest Department formed a three-member probe body to find out the causes of fire that broke out on March 28 last. The probe body submitted its report to the Divisional Forest office of Sundarbans (East) on Sunday afternoon.

According to a UNB report, the probe body could not exactly say what actually caused the fire but it assumed that it might have originated from any cigarette butt dropped by honey collectors.

It assessed that a portion of plants of only 0.53 acres of forest was burned to ashes in the fire, which damaged plants worth Tk 20,000 while caused an environmental loss of Tk 80,000, totalling Tk one lakh.

Probe body chief and assistant forest conservator (Chandpai Range) Belayet Hossain said the probe committee visited the spot and submitted its report after they talked to local people and others concerned.

It put forward a seven-point recommendation, including creating awareness among local people and honey collectors about the adverse impacts of fire on the mangrove forest and ensuring water sources at vulnerable points of the Sundarbans, to avoid fire incidents in the future.

The Sundarbans, a natural habitat to tiger, crocodile and dolphin, is located in three coastal districts—Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira -- covering a range of 6,017 square kilometres.